


Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.

by chadmaako



Series: The L'Cie Project [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: F/F, Gun Violence, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-04 22:47:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 32,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5351222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chadmaako/pseuds/chadmaako
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lightning Farron and Oerba Yun Fang are the best there are at what they do. But what they do, isn't very nice. Professional killers in a world where murder is in fashion, they are the elite of the elite. Created from youth to be efficient killing machines without conscience...but they rebelled. The Fal'Cie corporation wanted monsters. And that's just what they got. Except their monsters turned on them. Now, the pair work for the highest bidder, but they have morals and a semblance of principles. For years, they've been leaving bodies in their wake some good, most bad and had a bloody good time doing it. But now, a part of their past has come back to haunt them. A game of cat and mouse is set in motion with enemies that know them and are willing to do whatever it takes to stop them. Strong language, sexual situations and graphic violence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

            Lightning stepped into the Russian nightclub, pulling her sunglasses off. The interior was dark and the heavy techno-metal music was ear-shatteringly loud. She nodded her approval. It would make things easier. Strobe lights flashed and pulsed with the music. She ran her hand through her pale pink hair. It was almost organic to her. The club’s patrons, blood through the veins. The thump-thump of the music, like a heartbeat.

            She began weaving her way through the partiers and club goers. She shrugged her shoulders under the weight of her suit, loosening herself up for her role. Her black silk tie, white button down shirt and black blazer felt comfortable and familiar on her lithe frame. She was in her element.

            She cleared her mind of everything but her objective. Nothing would distract her. There, she could see her target across the room, sitting with his people. He was the king of his savannah. His power and money insuring that his revel never ended. Her intelligence on the man had been thorough. She knew everything about those he surrounded hinself with. She counted a total of six men, beside her prey. Each of them were vicious, ruthless and had a military background that would do Uncle Sam proud. After the fall of the Soviet Union, men such as these were left with no wars to fight and no enemies to overcome. And so, much like her, sold their skills to the highest bidder. They came at a hefty price…and were very good at what they did. She took her eyes from them and dropped them to the pair of floozies that sat with him in his booth, one under each arm. They were clad in short skirts that left nothing to the imagination. From their builds and their state of dress, she determined they were innocents drawn to his wealth and power.

             She flicked her gaze over to the bar, locking onto those of a tall black haired woman. She stared into a pair of intense green eyes. Fang, her partner of five years, gave her a single nod. She pushed away from the bar, moving toward her with all the grace and strength of a lioness. A man moved to intercept her, looking for a dance. Fang wasn’t in the mood and gripped his face with her large left hand, shoving him aside. He tumbled into another piece of eye candy and began dancing with her. The brunette never slowed.

             Lightning pulled the pair of pistols from the butterfly harness beneath the back of her jacket and held them flush against her sides as she walked. The cool steel felt good in her hands. _Hello old friends._ She thought to herself. The two silenced Glock 17 9mm semiautomatics had been her weapons of choice since she began her career. They’d never failed her. She’d given them up a time or two, looking for something newer. But, inevitably, she always found herself coming back. She grinned as she thought about it. In her line of work, reliability meant everything.

            Fang, slid up on her right side, a pair of carbon fiber collapsible batons at her sides, held against her forearms. “I got the three on the left.” A simple nod was all she received in affirmation. That was all she needed.

            Their approach didn’t go unnoticed. The six guards began rising to their feet. To the pair of killers, everything slowed to a crawl. Fang and Lightning had all the time in the world.

Fang rushed forward crossing in front of Lightning as the slighter assassin brought her pistols up, temporarily obscuring her from the gunmen protecting their quarry. They were contradictions, these two. Yin and Yang, direct opposites, yet needing each other to form the cohesive whole. Fang was very much a hands-on style of killer. She preferred to be up close and personal. She loved the feel of bones breaking. She loved to know that hers was an absolute power over the lives of those she hunted. She wanted her strength to be the last experience of their lives.

She was upon the first of the three bodyguards before he could bring his own MP5K to bear. To her, it was as if he were standing still. Her left baton impacted the side of his neck, fracturing the bones and causing him to pitch limply to the side. She drove her right fist directly into the center of his chest. With a grotesque squelching _crunch_ , his sternum and ribs shattered like fine crystal under a sledgehammer. Her incredible physical strength hurled him backward across the table to land atop their target and the women with him. The girls screamed.

            The other two guards had their weapons free and were bringing them to bear. Again, they seemed barely to be moving. She swung upward with both batons at once. Each strike caught the submachine guns against the bottom of the forward hand-hold and sent both weapons skyward. The men were squeezing the triggers as she did so. A burst of bullets fired in a useless line across the ceiling. The pair staggered back. Fang spun the batons in her hands and brought them both down against the men’s forearms. The bones snapped with a wet _crack_. Another blow caught both of them in the jaw. As the men were falling, she spun on her left foot. Her booted right heel coming around in a wide arc, colliding square with the temples of both men.

            They hit the floor in lifeless heaps so hard they bounced.

            Where Fang was all power and strength, Lightning was speed and finesse. Knowing Fang had her adversary’s well in hand, she concentrated her efforts on the three men in front of her. Far less garish than her long time partner, she preferred quick and efficient execution. To her it was a job. Nothing more, nothing less. No pity, no joy. Unlike Fang, she wasn’t in the business for the thrill. She had her own reasons. And so, with mechanical and an almost surgical precision and speed, she squeezed the triggers simultaneously. Two bullets flew, each of them punching a dime-sized hole in human skulls. The back of each bodyguard’s head erupted in a hail of brain, bone and blood. As the pair began dropping, she was in motion. She surged forward, sliding on her knees across the tiled floor. The final gunman was lifting his SMG to fire a burst. Her speed was simply beyond anything he was prepared for. Her weapons came together, ringing out six times. Every shot impacted the bodyguard’s torso. Crimson bursts of life spewed from his back, torn away by the Holopoint ammunition she favored. As he staggered back, she was to her feet. She then shoved the end of her pistol into his mouth and depressed the trigger, blasting the back of his neck apart in a scarlet rain. He fell backward on the table, eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling.

            In less than ten seconds, it was over.

            Fang moved up beside her as she stood, staring down at the Russian man as he fought to shove the large muscular form of his protector off of him. The powerful brunette replaced her batons, now collapsed into the case strapped to her leg. She reached forward and gripped the retainer’s shirt. The muscles in her bare tanned arm flexed as she threw his two hundred fifty pound bulk aside as if he weighed nothing.

            The dancers and club patrons seemed not to notice anything. “Sergey Polachenko.” Lightning said to him, matter of fact.

            “Wh-what do you want?” He asked, terrified. “Whoever is paying you… _whatever_ they are paying you, I can double it. Triple it!”

            “Oh, I ain’t about the money, big man.” Fang said. She rested a foot on the table, leaning her arms across the back of her knee. “Well, not _completely_.”

            “If not for money, then why do this?” He asked, fearfully. “What have I done to you?”

            Lightning lifted the pistol and drew a bead on the man. “To us?” She shook her head. “Nothing.”

“We don’t ask questions, mate.” Fang said, grinning at him. “It’s all just part of the job.” She looked Lightning. “Do it, Sunshine.”

The pink haired woman fired a bullet into the center of his head, spraying his brains across the wall behind him.

            The two women that sat at the table looked up at the pair of killers with wide, terror filled eyes. Fang stared back at them. In a flash, she slammed her hand down on the table and shouted “Boo!” The girls clutched each other and screamed. She laughed and turned on her heel, moving away from the table with Lightning. “I love my job.” She snatched a drink from the serving tray of a waitress and downed it, leaving the empty glass on a table as she moved past.

 

~~~

 

            Fang barely got the door of their hotel closed, before Lightning gripped her shoulder and spun her about. She slammed the brunette back against the wood and caught her lips in a furious bruising kiss. Fang immediately closed her eyes, moaning sensually at the contact. Their hands were a rush of movement and frenzy. Lightning took hold of the bottom of Fang’s half-shirt, lifting up over the swell of her bust, revealing the black lace bra. Fang, meanwhile franticly began tugging the woman’s blazer from her shoulders.

            It took no time for the pair to be frustrated with the barriers and reluctantly broke contact. Shoes and clothing were removed, in a chaotic trail leading to the bedroom of the suite. They collapsed onto the bed in a heated rush. Fang bit her lip and smiled as Lightning looked into her eyes with love, lust and desire. Then, without warning, the pale haired killer dove between her legs, her tongue and fingers quickly bringing her to release. Fang loved the way Lightning could play her body like a finely tuned instrument. The woman knew just how she liked to be touched. It was almost scary how well they could read each other. It didn’t take long to begin screaming the woman’s name.

            Lightning showed little emotion when in public. Hers was a quiet stoicism. A visage that offered nothing but a cold stare and a curt response, if she gave one at all. But she knew the truth of it. While she was quite reticent in appearance, Fang was her exception. In the bedroom, the tall beauty could bring a level of vocalization out of her that she’d never thought possible. Which explained why the pair had married four years ago and were still as addicted to each other as they had been the day they wed. And it showed no signs of slowing down.

            Once Fang had stopped trembling, she eyed her wife dangerously. “Your turn.” She said, her voice heavy. Lightning gave her a daring smile. _Bring it on_ the look said. And bring it, Fang did. In mere minutes, Lightning was a quivering mess. Her sensual gasps and lustful moans soon became screams of passion. Only Fang had ever been able to do this for her. And she loved her for it.

            The pair lay on the bed, soaked with sweat, panting. Lightning lay with her leg thrown over Fang’s, her head resting on the woman’s muscular shoulder. Her fingers drawing lazy patterns on her toned stomach. Fang, for her part lay on her back, the fingers of her right hand twirling in and through Lightning’s silky hair. “Do you wanna make the call or should I?” Fang asked her.

            “Let it keep.” Lightning offered. “Let’s just enjoy this for a while longer.” She chuckled. “Besides, knowing Serah if we wait too long, she’ll…” Her words were cut off as the petite assassin’s cell phone began ringing. “Speak of the devil.” She groaned and sat up, reaching toward the night stand. She saw a picture of her younger sister on the screen. She chuckled and put the phone on speaker. “Hello, Serah. Your ears must have been burning.”

            “You were supposed to call me when you left the club.” The younger Farron snapped.

            “We were busy.” Lightning returned. Fang lay her head in her hands and snickered.

            “Yeah, I’ll just bet you were.” Serah said. They could hear her tapping away at a keyboard. “So is it done?”

            “Dead as Dickens.” Lightning said, nodding.

            “And nowhere near as boring.” Fang added.

            Lightning narrowed her eyes, but couldn’t hide her amused smile. “Tell the contact to wire the rest of the money.”

            “Will do.” Serah said. “When you get back, there’s another job on offer.”

            “That was fast.” Fang said. “Would have appreciated a little time off, first.”

            “Then take some time off.” Serah said. “Just not too much. If you don’t respond to this client soon, he’ll shop elsewhere.”

            “Please.” Fang said. “Who’s he going to try and compare with us? Rygdea?”

            “Don’t knock it. Rygdea pulled off that Singapore job pretty nicely.” Serah said. “It was a two million dollar contract.”

            “That’s bullshit.” Fang said. “Client was only willing to pay us one and a half.”

            “Riggs wanted two.” Serah said. They could hear the shrug in her voice.

            “For two, I’d have done it.” Fang said, angered.

            “No, we wouldn’t have.” Lightning said. “It was a government official. We don’t do government jobs, remember?”

            “But two million dollars, Light. That’s a lot of money.”

            “That’s also a lot of heat and a lot of attention.”

            Fang sighed. “Riggsy did okay.”

            “And he’s more than welcome to that kind of attention. I don’t want it. Not for me, not for you and not for Serah.”

            “I suppose you’re right.” Fang agreed. “But still, two million bucks. Lotta bread.”

            “What is the newest client offering?” Lightning asked.

            “He didn’t say.” Serah said, looking at his information. “He just wanted to meet and discuss it. He did say that it wasn’t exactly your, quote-unquote _usual_ type of job, but he was willing to pay _handsomely_. That was all he said.”

            “Leaves us free to define _handsome_ , doesn’t it?” Fang asked, chuckling. “I say we go and meet the bastard. Find out what his game is.”

            “Set it up, Serah. We’ll be back in New York in a couple of days.” Lightning said. “See you then.”

            “See you later. Love you.”

            “I love you, too.” Lightning responded softly.

            “Love ya, sis.” Fang said, reaching over and hitting the end button. “How do you feel about another job so soon?”

            Lightning shrugged. “Money is money and a job is a job.”

            “You say that every time, you know that?” Fang said, sighing. “Suppose we should grab showers and get a move on. Long flight back to the states.”

            “We’ve got two days.” Lightning said, moving closer to her wife. “No rush.”

            “Fair point.” Fang said, pulling the pink haired woman on top of her.


	2. Chapter 2

            “So what do we know about this guy?” Fang asked as she stood beside Lightning. She took a bite of the cheeseburger and let out a soft moan.

            Lightning chuckled. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re enjoying that hamburger more than you enjoy me.” Fang sniggered, but said nothing.

            “See? These are things that, as your little sister, I don’t need to hear.” Serah said as she tapped away at her keyboard. “And this is your contact. Cid Raines. Chief Executive Officer of Fal’Cie Genetics International. World’s leading experts in genetic research and development.” She offered a smile. “The company that’s responsible for the pair of you, if memory serves.”

            Both Fang and Lightning’s eyes narrowed. “We’re familiar with ‘em alright.”

            “Do you know if they’ve cleaned up their act since we got rid of Dysley?” Lightning asked.

            “Believe it or not, they have.” Serah said. “They’re publicly traded now and they’ve scrapped their L’Cie program.” She looked at the pair. “You two, from everything I’ve been able to gather, are the only two combat units left.”

            “Yeah, we pretty much made sure of that.” Fang offered. “If not for Vanille, we’d have burned out years ago.”

            Lightning nodded her agreement. “Agreed.” She said. “So what else can you tell us about Mister Raines?”

            “Standard stuff. Nothing that raises any red flags.” Serah said. “I’ve dissected his history. Aside from being a nerd on par with me, the guy’s clean. Has a bit of a lead foot and seems to really love Ferraris. Owns fourteen of them.” She said, shaking her head. “No ties to any terrorist groups. Pretty much just a rich business owner. American dream type stuff.”

            “Where and when does he wanna meet?” Fang asked. “It sure as hell isn’t gonna be in his office.”

            “He apparently owns a Yacht.” Serah said, bringing up a picture. “That’s it, there. Rich bastard. That’s where he wants to meet.”

            “It’s not like we couldn’t afford one.” Lightning said. “If you really wanted one.”

            “What the hell would I do with a Yacht?” Serah asked her. “Talk about being a self indulgent wiener with too much bloody money.”

            “Alright, you really gotta stop spending your weekends watching movies with Snow.” Fang said.

            “Oh, yeah. You got room to talk.” Serah said. “You know exactly what I was talking about, didn’t you?”

            “Fuck.” Fang said, kicking herself.

            Her wife just chuckled at her. “He has a helipad on his boat.” She turned to Fang. “Think you can land the Defender on something that size?”

            Fang nodded. “I can land on a pin-head.”

            “Tell him we’re on our way.” Lightning said. “Let’s fly.”

            Fang stuffed the rest of her burger in her mouth and stifled a belch. “God, I miss American food.”

            “It wasn’t that bad.” Lightning said.

            “You’re not allergic to cabbage.” Fang said, shaking her head. The pair made their way to the roof of the small office building. The small matte black helicopter sat idly under the tarp. After pulling the blue canvas off, Fang slid in and pulled on her headset. She then flipped the toggles, starting up the engine. “I been thinkin’.”

            “That’s dangerous.” Lightning said, buttoning her jacket.

            “Yeah, yeah.” Fang said as she waited for the turbine to come up to the speed. “Why do you suppose they made us so different?”

            “What do you mean?” Lightning asked her.

            “Well, we were both genetically altered, right? Why not make us the same? I mean, they could have just, I don’t know, created two assassins like you. Hardcore with the guns and Chow Yun Fat moves. But they didn’t. They wired you for dexterity and agility and all that noise and made me an ox by comparison.”

            “Why did they make me the speed and you the muscle?” Lightning asked. At Fang’s nod, she shrugged. “Couldn’t tell you. When we took Dysley out, we never got a chance to ask him. Same reasons I can dead bull and field strip every firearm known to man and you can drive or fly everything with an engine.” She shook her head. “We were designed to fill different roles.”

            “Makes sense I suppose.” Fang said. She lifted off the helipad and angled the helicopter toward the Atlantic. “Hey, Light?”

            The slender assassin looked out over the city with her binoculars. “Hmm?”

            “You ever given any thought to givin’ this up?” Fang asked her. “Retirin’?”

            “Sometimes.” Lightning said, peering into the distance. “I see him. About five miles out.” She pointed. “What makes you ask?”

            “Got him.” Fang said, pointing the chopper toward the massive boat. “I don’t know. I just, I been thinkin’ about it a lot lately.” She smiled. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my work, it’s just…”

            “Too easy?” Lightning asked her.

            “Yeah.” Fang said. “From what Serah’s been sayin’ there ain’t no more like us. We’re the last of the L’Cie. I mean, those guys in Russia? They were Spetsnaz. The best of the best. And we took ‘em apart like they were nothin’.” She cast glance at Lightning. “We shouldn’t have been able to, Light. Not guys like that.”

            “Fang?” Lightning looked at her wife. “You can bench press a Volvo. I’ve seen you put your fist through a brick wall without so much as a scratch. You’ve taken a nine millimeter bullet to the chest and all it did was piss you off. You barely even bled.” She chuckled. “I can run a mile in under a minute and go flat out for five before my hands start to shake. I can literally dodge a bullet for fuck’s sake. Not to mention the training and skill sets we have on _top_ of all of that. Is it _really_ that surprising that we can smoke a bunch of Russian ex-special forces mercs? Seriously?”

            “I guess not.” Fang said. “Not when you put it like that.” She sighed. “I think that nine cracked a rib.”

            “But it hit you and stopped. It didn’t go _through_ you, like it would have were it virtually anyone else.”

            “Still hurt like hell.”

            “Explains why you go so pissed off.” Lightning offered. “But it didn’t kill you. And I’m not sure it could have, no matter where he’d have shot you. Your skin and muscle density makes concrete look like pudding.”

            “I’m enhanced, Light, not the bloody Hulk.” Fang said, shaking her head.

            “You’ve got an army.” Lightning said, sniggering. “We’ve got a Fang.”

            “Funny.” The taller woman said. “Here we go.” She said, easing the helicopter down onto the deck of the massive yacht. “Bigger than I thought it was.”

            The craft touched down and was immediately secured to the deck. Lightning and Fang exited the vehicle and followed a pair of retainers below. They were led down into a well appointed living room. As they entered, a rather dapper looking man rose to his feet. He was fairly broad shouldered, with a handsome face and soft gray-green eyes. The suit he wore was meticulously tailored and hung on him nicely. His close cropped hair was black, but hinted at purple in the sunlight filtering in through the window.

            Beside him stood a beautiful blonde woman with bright blue eyes and a warm smile. Her short pale hair framed her pretty face.

            “Claire Lightning Farron and Oerba Yun Fang.” The man said, giving them a welcoming smile. “Your reputations precede you.” He offered his hand to both of them. “I’m Cid Raines. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”

            “Serah was pretty vague.” Lightning offered, flicking her eyes to the woman beside him. “You got us. Start talking.”

            He gave a soft chuckle. “Straight to business. I heard you weren’t one to mince words.” He motioned to the sofas that sat facing each other over a coffee table. “Can I get either of you anything?”

            “We’re fine.” Fang said, dropping to the sofa. She leaned back and rested her arms across the back of it and crossing her legs. She appeared completely comfortable and totally at ease. Cid didn’t however miss the way she casually looked all around the room. She made it seem as though she was just taking in the scenery, but her eyes lingered for heartbeat or two on the pair of men that had escorted them in. Her gaze also fell upon the exits of the room. Despite the guise of nonchalance, Fang was the hammer of a gun; cocked and ready to fire.

            In contradiction to her outward calm, Lightning sat upon the edge of the sofa beside the taller brunette. Her back was rail straight and her hands sat in her lap, fingers interlaced. Her body was visibly tense, as if she expected attack at any moment from all directions. Her eyes, however, were only for him and the woman beside him. She paid the other pair of figures in the room no mind. Cid had to respect that. He saw that the women trusted each other _implicitly_. He also noticed that Lightning and Fang’s legs were in constant contact with each other. If one rose, the other would know and respond immediately.

            He let out a sigh. It was so nice working with trained professionals. “I’ve done some inquiring about. When my need for individuals with skill sets similar to yours arose, everyone I spoke with were in agreement.” He pointed to the pair of them. “You two were at the top of everyone’s list.”

            “We’re the best we are at what we do, Mr. Raines.” Lightning offered.

            “I am well aware. And please, call me Cid.” He said, his tone friendly.

            “So let’s cut to the chase, Cid.” Fang said. “What exactly is it you need us to do?”

            “The pair of you are contract killers.” He said, matter of fact. “Over two hundred confirmed contracts completed.”

            “Two hundred nineteen.” Lightning said. She flicked her eyes to the woman beside him. She looked a touch pale. The pink haired gunfighter wasn’t surprised. To know that you were sitting mere inches from someone like her would make anyone ill. “But that doesn’t tell us…”

            “I don’t need you to kill anyone.” Cid said, point blank. “I need you to protect someone who has a contract on their head.”

            “You need us to play bodyguard?” Fang asked him. He gave a nod. “That’s not normally what we do.”

            “I know. But as two of the world’s top assassins, you know how your ilk thinks. Who better to foil a killer’s attempts than a more efficient and effective killer?”

            Lightning turned to the blonde. “I’m assuming _you’re_ the target?”

            “This is Nora Estheim.” Cid said. “As you both know, after your… _insurrection_ five years ago against Fal’Cie Genetics and the untimely death of President Dysley, the L’Cie program was scrapped. The pair of you are all that remains of that particular endeavor.” They both nodded. “Let me ask you…what do you know of an organization calling themselves Gran Pulse?”

            Lightning shrugged, but Fang narrowed her eyes. “What do you know about them?” She asked. Lightning turned to her with a questioning gaze. Fang met her eyes and shook her head. _We’ll talk about it later_ her look said. Lightning returned a slight nod, confident they would do just that.

            “So you’re familiar with them?” He asked, clarifying.

            “Crackpots and fringe scientists.” Fang offered. “Yeah. We’ve met.”

            “Well, long story short, they wish to reinvigorate the L’Cie project. They’ve been working on their own subjects.” He shook his head. “I’m not entirely certain if they have any functioning prototypes at this time, but…”

            “What does that have to do with her?” Lightning asked, indicating Nora.

            “I was one of the original scientists for the L’Cie program.” Nora returned. “I wasn’t in the office when the pair of you…” She bit her lip, refusing to finish the thought.

            Lightning turned to regard Fang. The woman seemed rather non-plussed. “We missed one, I guess.” Fang offered. Both killers looked to Nora. “I hate not being thorough.”

            Cid cleared his throat. “That isn’t what I asked you here for.”

            “That still doesn’t explain why the Gran Pulse group would want you dead.”

            “They don’t want her dead.” Cid explained.

            “Then what…?” Fang began asking.

            “I have all of the knowledge on how the L’Cie were created.” She tapped her head. “Up here.” She bit her lip. “I’m…” She looked at them. “I’m a L’Cie, too.”

            “If you’re a L’Cie, why do you need us?” Lightning asked.

            “I’m not like the pair of you. You’re killers.” She didn’t mean for her voice to sound accusatory, but she couldn’t completely keep it under control. If the tone bothered the pair, they showed no signs of it. “I have true total recall. I remember one hundred percent of what I’m exposed to. What I see, hear, taste, touch and smell. I was active in every part of the L’Cie trials. I know everything, _everything_ about the process.”

            “So the Gran Pulse group wants you so they can duplicate the results.” Lightning said. She looked at Fang. “That’s not good.”

            “No offense, but…” Fang stared at Nora. “What’s to keep us from killing you and solving all of our problems?”

            She swallowed and shook her head. “Nothing.” She said, sorrow in her voice. “And by all rights, you probably should.”

            “There are three reasons.” Cid said, his voice hard. “One; even though what she knows can be dangerous, it can also be extremely beneficial. The pharmaceutical applications alone are worth keeping her alive. Second; she has a son, a _family_.” He looked at the pair of them. “I believe you know something about that.”

            “That’s two.” Fang said.

            “And because I’m going to be paying you _whatever_ you wish to keep her safe for the next five days.” He added, somewhat bitterly. He was saddened that, in the end, it always came down to money.

            “What happens in five days?” Lightning asked.

            “Nora can disappear.” Cid said. “I’ve called in some favors.” He looked at Lightning. “Your old friend, Amodar is willing to help. He has some friends in the Japanese government that can help Nora vanish and start a new life there. But it’s going to take time. She needs to be kept safe until then.”  

            “Amodar is a good man. Honorable. If you have his word, then it’s good as gold. But why us?” Lightning asked. “Fal’Cie has it’s own private security detail.”

            “Good question. Captain?” Cid said, turning to the side.

            A tall, rugged figure with long brown hair and happy green eyes entered the room from the door behind the businessman.

            “Rygdea.” Fang said, giving the man a smile. “Never saw you as the corporate type.”

            “I go where the money is.” He said, giving her and Lightning a nod. He stepped up to the table and tossed a pair of security badges in front of the women. “These two tried taking off with Nora a few nights ago.”

            Fang chuckled. “Showed them the error of their ways, did ya?”

            “You know it.” He said, nodding.

            “The point is, sadly, we don’t know who in Fal’Cie we can trust.” He pointed to the pair of them. “But you two? From what I’ve been given to understand, both by Captain Rygdea here and all of those that you’ve worked for, you have rules. Chief among those is that once you accept a contract, you never _ever_ break that contract.” He shook his head. “Neither you, nor your principles are for sale.”

            Both women looked at each other and nodded agreement. “That’s true.” Fang said.

            “When do we start?” Lightning asked him.

            “You already have.” Cid said.

            “Alright.” Lightning said, leaning forward. “You know you’re getting the best in the business.” She gave him a smile. It wasn’t pleasant. “Let’s talk price.”


	3. Chapter 3

            “I can’t believe it.” Fang said as she banked the Helicopter toward the building. “Eight million dollars, plus expenses.” She turned to look at Nora. “Your boss must really love you.”

            Nora sighed. “He and my husband have known each other since Elementary School.” She smiled lightly. “He’d do anything for my family.”

            “I’ll say.” Fang said, lowering the helicopter to the ground. “Home sweet home.” She said, pulling the helmet and headset off. After tossing the tarp back over the chopper, the trio made their way down from the roof to a large open air office. Along the wall sat a bank of computer screens, nine in all. A younger woman in her early twenties with long bright pink hair turned and met the blonde’s eyes, giving her a friendly smile.

            “Nora Estheim, this is my sister Serah.” Lightning said, motioning to the girl. “The brains of our operation.”

            “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Serah said rising to her feet and shaking the woman’s hand.

            “Likewise.” Nora offered. “I’ve heard of you. You do a good job keeping these two out of trouble.”

            “Nah.” Serah said, chuckling. “I mostly get them _into_ trouble.”

            At Nora’s surprised look, Fang stepped up, dropping a hand on her shoulder. “Serah’s our contract liaison. She brings our clients to us.”

            “You don’t have to worry. Bodyguard work isn’t normally our bread and butter, but it’s nothing new to us.” Serah said. She then turned to Fang. “Vanille is in the kitchen.”

            “Oh.” Fang said, happily. She turned and trotted in to see her sister.

            Lightning stepped up to Nora. “We need to talk.” She said, motioning Nora to follow her. The blonde nodded and moved over to what appeared to be a conference room. “Sit.” Lightning said, pulling a chair out. Nora took the proffered seat. Lightning sat on the table beside her and crossed her arms. “I need to know why Cid lied to us.”

            Nora gave her a confused look. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

            “Yes. You do.” Lightning said. She looked up as Fang and Vanille walked in the door.

            “Take your shirt off and give me your arm.” Vanille said to Nora. She held what looked like some sort of gun in her hand.

            “What for?” Nora asked. “What’s going on?”

            Vanille held up the gun. “It’s a RFID injector. It’ll allow us to keep tabs on you for the next one hundred and forty four hours. Then the energy cell goes dead. In case you get captured, we can find you.” She gestured with her hands. “Come on. Don’t be shy.”

            Nora bit her lip and pulled her blouse off, revealing her red silk bra.

            “Hm.” Fang said, looking the woman over with approval. “Victoria Secret Summer Catalog. Good choice. Not cheap.” Nora blushed as she held her arm out to Vanille.

            Lightning chuckled and rolled her eyes. “You’re terrible.”

            “You weren’t complainin’ last night.” Fang said, grinning.

            Vanille ignored the pair and pressed the injector to Nora’s arm. The blonde flinched. “Ow.”

            “Don’t be a baby.” Vanille said, pressing a piece of gauze to the injection site. “It’ll be a little tender for a while.” She said, setting the gun down and pulled a pair of band-aids from her pocket. “Rambo, or Rainbow Brite?” She asked, cocking her head curiously.

            Nora couldn’t help but smile. “Rainbow Brite.” She said, pointing. Vanille returned the grin and put the band-aid over the wound. “There we are.” She said, happily. She then looked at Lightning, giving her a thumbs up. “You should be able to track it with your cell phone.” 

            The pink haired assassin pulled her phone out and quickly synched up the system. “Got it. Thanks Vanille.” The girl nodded and gathered her gear, leaving the room. “So start talking.”

            “I still don’t understand what you’re…”

            “Cid Raines doesn’t strike me as a particularly stupid man.” Lightning said. “If he lets you just disappear, then everything you know, everything you’re valuable for, is useless. You use anything you know and this whole problem is just going to repeat itself.”

            “What do you mean?” Nora asked. She looked _genuinely_ concerned.

            “You didn’t know.” Fang said, standing beside her wife. She turned and looked at Lightning. “That’s just bullshit.”

            Lightning nodded and looked down at Nora. “Cid is using you.”

            “Using…for what?” Nora asked, confusion in her voice. “Please, just start making sense.”

            “You’re bait, Estheim.” Fang said, flatly. “He’s putting you on a hook to snag a really big fish.”

            “Cid knows that as long as there are people out there trying to hunt you down, you’ll never be comfortable in a lab again. You’ll never want to use what you know. You’ll never be able to do any kind of research.”

            “But what does that have to do with anything?” Nora asked. “I’ve already done a lot for him.”

            “But if you were able to relax and were given a state of the art lab with an unlimited budget, what would you be able, _willing_ to do?” Fang asked her. “Cid understands that. That’s why he came to us.”

            “That doesn’t make any sense.” Nora said. “He wanted you two to protect me.”

            “No.” Lightning said. “He’s hired us to do exactly what Fang and I do best. You said it yourself. We’re killers, not bodyguards. We know the mercenary community. So does Cid. There are any number of highly qualified protection professionals out there. But he came to a pair of assassins. Why?”

            “He said that you both would recognize killers when you saw them.” Nora said.

            “And he’s right.” Fang said. “And if you had assassins comin’ after you, we’d be perfect. But you won’t. You’re gonna have retrieval experts coming after you. Professional kidnappers. You’re too valuable to eliminate. They’ll want you alive.”

            “He knows Fang and I have a sharpened killer instinct. Gran Pulse is the only group that seems to have any interest in you. They’re going to send their people after you. Because of our heightened predatory and aggressive instincts Fang and I are going to shoot first and ask questions never. Cid knows that. That’s why, out of everyone he could have sent, he chose the only two remaining combat ready L’Cie. The three of us together are far too tempting a target to ignore.”

            “I wouldn’t be surprised if Cid is secretly sending a message to Gran Pulse right now, telling them where to find us.” Fang said.

            “He wouldn’t do that.” Nora said. “He wouldn’t betray my trust, my husband’s trust like that.”

            “You sure about that?” Fang asked her. “You willing to be your life, the lives of your family on that?”

            Nora was a very, very logical woman. As she listened to them, she could see it all laid out and everything fit. It all fell into place perfectly. What she knew was extremely valuable. She was literally the only woman on the planet that knew how the L’Cie program was executed, start to finish. None of the original research remained. And the girls were right. As the last living L’Cie, they were likewise invaluable.

            But she also understood that, by and large people like Fang and Lightning, people like _her_ shouldn’t exist. They were abominations. Man’s attempt at playing god. It had _always_ grated on her, but she stood and watched, mentally recording everything. She was young, and eager to please. And it was her _job_.

            Yes, the pair of women before her had something approaching a moral code, reprehensible though it was. But she also understood what the L’Cie program truly designed for. It was meant to create superhuman killing machines; warriors of unparalleled skill and ability, free of compassion or remorse and with unwavering obedience. Their services sold to the highest bidder.

            Nothing and no one would be safe. Any with the money to pay, could have anyone eliminated anywhere, at any time. No target would be spared. The thought of it made her ill. “I can’t…” She said, burying her face in her hands. “How can you know this? How do you know Cid is like this?”

            “Because he’s human.” Lightning said. “And humans are greedy. We all want what we don’t have.”

            “But he said…he promised he wouldn’t…”

            “Look.” Fang said, kneeling beside the woman. “He is partially right. What you know can help a lot of people. The science behind the L’Cie program can be beneficial. He wasn’t lying about that. But that isn’t where the money is.” She gave the woman a sad look. “And in the end, that’s what it always boils down to.”

            “I can’t believe that.” Nora said. “I just…I can’t.”

            Lightning shook her head. “You don’t have to. Cid Raines is paying us eight million dollars to keep you safe for the next five days. That’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

            Fang looked at the woman. “You know how to fight?” She asked the blonde.

            Nora shook her head. “I’m not like you two.”

            “You don’t even know how to throw a punch, do you?” Fang asked her. As Nora again shook her head, Fang chuckled. “You retain everything you see and hear, right? Come with me.”

 

            Lightning sat across the small dining room table from Fang eating her sandwich. “What do you have her watching?”

            “Started her off with something classic. She’s working through my Bruce Lee collection.”

            Lightning couldn’t help but laugh. “Might as well have her learn from the best.” She finished her food. “At least you don’t have her watching Legend of the Drunken Master.”

            Fang dropped her head to the table. “That would have been hilarious.”

            “So are you gonna tell me about your history with Gran Pulse?” Lightning asked as she washed her plate and set it in the drain rack.

            Fang crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. She began rubbing her arms trying to stave off some unseen chill. “Vanille and I, when were children were a part of their program. It wasn’t called the L’Cie program. It was…it was something else back then. Both of our parents were a part of it before us.” She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. “Us and about forty other children. As the years went by, there seemed to be less and less kids. When I was about eight and Vanille was five, our parents just…we didn’t see them anymore. We were never told what happened to them. We still don’t know. But the people that were in care of us they just told us not to worry about it.”

            “What did they do to you?” Lightning asked her. “You say the program was…”

            “It was worse.” Fang said, looking at Lightning. There were tears in her eyes. “It was far worse than what Fal’Cie did to me.” She looked down and tried to calm herself. “At the very least Fal’Cie cared about us. They took time to make sure our minds weren’t going, you know?” Lightning nodded her agreement. “I don’t know with any certainty what Vanille went through. She’s never really told me what it was like for her back then. I just know that it sometimes gives her nightmares. But for me, injections that would hurt for days. Surgeries for things that I didn’t know – and don’t believe – were wrong with me.”

            “The scar on your back?” Lightning asked.

            Fang nodded. “One of ‘em, yeah.” She said. “I’d just turned thirteen. Vanille was just turning ten in a few days. That’s when we got out.”

            “How did you…?”

            “Sazh.” Fang said. “He was a friend of my father’s. He managed to sneak Vanille and I out of the facility and hide us. For a few days he kept a watch on us. Both of us started getting sick. We couldn’t eat, we couldn’t sleep. Vanille would have horrible nightmares and I was in pain all the time. That’s when he delivered us to Fal’Cie. He knew that anything Gran Pulse had done to us could be repaired. That’s when we both became part of the L’Cie program.”

            “So that was what? Fifteen years ago?” Lightning asked her. Fang nodded. “How big was their organization? I’ve heard a few things here and there, but…what kind of resources do they have?”

            “They got quite a bit they could throw at us. I mean, we can stay ahead of ‘em if we’re careful, but we got really watch our six.”

            “To be expected.” Lightning said, nodding. “How far into their program are they? Anything approaching our caliber?”

            “They didn’t have anything concrete when Vanille and I got out. And given that they still want Nora, I can’t help but think they ain’t gotten much further.” Fang said, shrugging. “That said, it would just be arrogant to think they don’t have at least _something_ they can throw at us.”

            “Any idea what to expect?” Lightning asked her.

            Fang shook her head. “Not a clue. I do know that they were very heavy into cybernetics. With me they did a lot of bone density tests and blood tests. Again, not sure about Vanille.”

            Lightning sighed and buried her face in her hands. “I’m really beginning to think we shouldn’t have taken this job.”

            “Eight _million_ dollars.” Fang said, rising to her feet. “After this, we can frickin’ retire. Buy a small Caribbean island and just take the odd contract on the side.”

            “Great.” Lightning said, snickering. “You wanna be James Bond villains.”

            “With better uniforms.” Fang pulled her wife in and kissed her. “Nothing but bikinis twenty four seven.”

            “I gotta admit.” Lightning said as she returned the embrace. “The sight of you in a bikini on a sandy beach in the sun does sound good.”

 

            “We can’t stay here.” Lightning offered to the collected group. Fang nodded but Vanille, Serah and Nora gave her a look like they couldn’t fathom why. “Fang and I talked a bit about this. It’s only reasonable to assume that Gran Pulse is going to do whatever they can to get you from us.” Lightning said, pointing to Nora.

            “Knowing that, isn’t the best bet to hole up here and make a stand?” Serah asked. Lightning looked at her and couldn’t help but feel proud of the girl. Serah wasn’t the fighter Lightning and Fang were. She never would be, but she wasn’t a slouch, either. Three years in the Marine Corp had made her born again hard. She knew her way around a gun and wasn’t bad in a fight. If they were going to get targeted by mercenaries, she would do her part.

            But both Fang and Lightning knew the truth. Gran Pulse would stop at _nothing_ to get Nora. That meant carving a bloody path to her if necessary. Neither woman wanted to sacrifice their only living family if they didn’t have to. “That would put you and Vanille in harm’s way.” She shook her head. “Not taking that chance. Fang and I will do better if we didn’t have to worry about the pair of you.”

            “But…” Vanille began. Her chipper tone belied the gravity of the topic of conversation. “Without the pair of you here, what’s to stop someone from coming after us to get to you all?”

            “Serah knows what to do.” Lightning said, looking at her sister.

            The younger Farron nodded. “We go into hiding.” She looked at Vanille. “We have a safe-house in upstate Maine. Completely off the grid. Active and passive thermal masking, independent power supply, enough food and water for a year. All underground. Completely undetectable.” She shook her head. “The three of us built it together. It isn’t on any maps there’s literally no record of it anywhere. There isn’t a chance that Gran Pulse can find out about it. We can hold up there until this mess is over.”

            Nora sighed heavily. “I hate that I’m such a danger to all of you.” She said, sadly.

            “Can’t be helped.” Fang said. “Unless you want us to put a bullet in your head to keep you from talking, this is the next best thing.”

            “Maybe you should.” Nora said.

            “Hey, don’t talk like that.” Vanille said, moving over to take the woman’s hands. “You know stuff people want. That’s not your fault. These two are gonna keep you safe.”

            Nora looked at the perky redhead and smile. “Thank you.” She said, before turning to Lightning and Fang. “But what happens when you do succeed? What is Cid going to force me to do?”

            The assassins both gave her a shrug. “That’s between you and him.” Lightning said. “Our job is to protect you for…” She looked at her watch. “The next one hundred six hours and eleven minutes. After that you’re on your own.”

            Nora leaned back in her chair and groaned. “Let’s hope everything is in place by then.”

            “So what are the travel plans?” Serah asked.

            “Gas up the Gulfstream and fly to Los Angeles. Sit it out there for a couple of days, keeping on the move throughout the city and then make the last leg of the flight to Tokyo.” Lightning said, looking at Nora. “We’ll spend the rest of the time there until your contact shows up or the clock runs out.”

            Nora bit her lip and cocked her head. “What,” She swallowed and tried again. “What if my contact is late or killed? What will the pair of you do then?”

            Lightning stared at her. “Understand something, Mrs. Estheim. You have us for five days. Once the deadline runs out, we’re off the clock. You still want us to protect you?” She held her hand up and rubbed her index and middle finger against her thumb. “You pay for our time. And believe me.” She shook her head. “We are _not_ cheap.”

            “If I can’t afford to pay you, you’ll just leave me to die?” Nora asked, somewhat disgusted. “What kind of people would do that?”

            “Hey!” Serah snapped, leaning forward. “Don’t you dare go getting all high and mighty on my sisters. If you expect them to _die_ for you, the least you can do is offer them some compensation.”

            “Besides.” Fang said, chuckling. “We wouldn’t just leave you die. We’d hold you hostage and ransom you back to Cid for what we’re out of pocket for.” She shook her head. “But I wouldn’t worry about that. Cid seems like her cares a lot about you. He’ll make sure you’re taken care of.” She waved a hand dismissively. “This is all conjecture anyway.”

            “I suppose I should just be grateful that you _won’t_ leave me to die in Japan.” Nora said. “I have a little money saved up. I can pay you extra if I have to.”

            “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Lightning said, turning to Serah.

            The girl rose to her feet. “I’ll call the airfield and have them fuel up the plane.”

            “You two come with me.” Vanille said. “Got some new toys for you.” She looked at Nora. “You might wanna get some rest. Not sure how much you’ll be getting over the next few days.”

            Nora watched them as they left the room and sat there a moment. Slowly, she rested her head on her arms and wept.

 

           

 


	4. Chapter 4

            “Is this really necessary?” Nora asked, concern in her voice.

            Fang cinched the buckles tightly along the side of the blonde’s bullet proof vest. “Yes, it’s necessary.” She tugged on the armor. “Don’t want you catchin’ a stray bullet.”

            “But you said that I’m wanted alive. Why would I need body armor if they won’t shoot at me?”

            “Just because they don’t want you dead, doesn’t mean they won’t shoot at you.” Fang offered.

            “In a firefight, you can’t always control where the bullets go.” Lightning said, strapping on her own armor. “It’s better safe than sorry.”

            Fang nodded to her. “There you are.” She said, giving the blonde a thumbs up. She turned to Lightning, making sure she was secured. “Lookin’ good, baby.” She kissed the woman intently. She then quickly put on her own.

            Lightning watched and smiled. Fang looked good in just about anything. “Is everything loaded up?” She asked her wife.

            “Yeah.” Fang turned to Nora. “Let’s go.” She said, motioning to the massive black armored SUV.

            “What is that?” Nora asked, curiously.

            Fang grinned proudly. “That, my dear lady is a Knight XV. It’s got…”

            Lightning stepped up and slapped a hand over Fang’s mouth. “She doesn’t need to know the vital stats on the damn thing.” She looked at Nora. “It’s armored and it’s fast. Get in.” She said, removing her hand from Fang’s mouth.

            The brunette frowned. “Way to steal my thunder, Light.” She narrowed her eyes as Nora giggled. “Shaddup.”

            Nora was shocked when she climbed into the rig. It was a level of luxury reserved for high end limousines. “This is really comfortable.”

            “For damn near a million dollars, it better be.” Fang said, firing up the huge 6.7 liter diesel. They pulled free of the building and out onto the street.

            Nora shifted under the weight of the body armor. “This stuff is heavy and hot as heck.”

            “You get used to it.” Lightning said, keeping her eyes open. She knew it was only a matter of time before their enemies made a move. It would be way too much to hope that the next five days would go by quietly.

            It took nearly a half an hour with New York traffic to reach LaGuardia Airport. Fang pulled onto a private access road and drove quickly toward the small private hangar that she and Lightning owned. In moments they arrived to see the white and blue Gulfstream jet sitting outside. Nora whistled low in her throat. “That’s impressive.”

            Lightning went about loading their gear into the plane as Fang went about getting the pre-flight checks done. “Well,” the pink haired assassin began. “They know we’re going by air.”

            “How do you know?” Nora asked.

            “The ground crew worker by the tarmac over there.” Fang offered, nodding with her head. “He’s a plant.”

            Nora looked at him. “How can you tell? How do you know he’s not…?”

            “Airport policy. Security and identification badges have to be worn at all times.” Lightning shook her head. “He doesn’t have one. Fang and I also know everyone who works in this part of the port. We don’t know him. We’ve requested that everyone who works near our hangar to be run by us. We pay good money for our security.”

            Nora couldn’t help but stare at the man as he watched the plane like a hawk. She suddenly felt like the worm on a hook that they claimed she was. It made her shift as she boarded the plane.

            A little over forty five minutes later, Fang sat behind the control yoke of the plane, her headset firmly on her head. The engines howled as she readied for take-off. “Air traffic control. November-five-five-zero-Golf-Alpha requesting departure clearance.”

            “Roger that, November-five-five-zero-Golf-Alpha. Cleared for departure on runway ten. Good flight and god speed.”

            “Roger that, tower.” Fang said, throttling forward. She pulled back on the control stick and smiled as the plane rose into the air. She flipped the toggle, selecting the passenger compartment push. “This is your captain speaking. Thank you for choosing L’Cie air. We’re climbing to an altitude of about thirty thousand feet. You’re now free to move about the cabin.”

            Lightning listened to her wife and shook her head. “She loves this shit.”

            Nora looked around the compartment and was impressed with the setup. “This is a really nice plane.”

            “Thank you.” Lightning said, leaning back to watch out the window.

            “How long a flight is it?” Nora asked her.

            “Six and a half hours, give or take.” Lightning responded to her.

            Nora bit her lip as she watched the pink haired woman. “You don’t like me much, do you?”

            “I don’t know you well enough to like or dislike you.” Lightning offered, looking the woman over. “To me, you’re a paycheck. Nothing more, nothing less.”

            Nora couldn’t help but feel a touch offended by that. She wanted to rebut, but she chose not to. She was going to be stuck with the woman for the next six hours, so she might as well try to be friendly. “Did you and your wife volunteer for the L’Cie program?” Lightning nodded. Nora waited a couple seconds to see if the she would elaborate. When she didn’t she sighed and asked. “Why?”

            “Does it really matter?” Lightning asked. “I had my reasons.”

            “I see.” Nora said, crossing her arms and peering out the window. “Forget I asked.”

            For several minutes, the pair sat in silence. “For my sister.” Lightning finally said.

            “What?”

            “You asked me why I volunteered to be a L’Cie. It was to protect my sister. After my mother died, Fal’Cie offered me a lot of money to go through the program. I accepted so my sister could have a better life. I was fifteen at the time. I didn’t realize what was involved. I didn’t realize what Fal’Cie wanted from me.”

            “If you’d known what was expected of you, do you think you would have still done it?”

            Lightning shrugged. “I guess we’ll never know.” She looked at Nora. “What about you? Why did you become an Intellectual L’Cie?”

            Nora couldn’t fight the tears that followed. “It wasn’t by choice.” She said, shaking her head. “I was one of the first. I was altered when I was a little girl. Three or four, I think. My father volunteered me.”

            “That’s heartless.” Lightning said.

            Nora shrugged. “I can’t really be angry at him. Because of what he did, I graduated from MIT at seventeen and earned my doctorate at twenty one.”

            “Could be worse.” Lightning said. She narrowed her eyes suddenly. “Unbuckle your seat belt and get under the table.” She removed her belt and rose to her feet.

            “What?”

            “Just do it.” The pink haired woman said, standing perfectly still. “And cover your head.”

            Nora, suddenly terrified, did as the mercenary told her.

            Lightning moved to the back of the compartment and stood to the side near the door that led to the baggage hold. Seconds later, the portal flew open. The man from the ground crew rushed into the room, a tazer in his hand. Suddenly, to Lightning, his movements slowed to a crawl.

            Nora had never had the chance to see her work in action. She turned and peeked out from under the table. Her eyes widened as she watched the display.

            Lightning reached out, wrapping her hand about the inside of his right wrist. She drove her left palm into his elbow. The man’s arm dislocated with a wet _snap_. The tazer fell from his grip. She kept her hold on his arm and turned, flipping him over and onto the carpet with a hard _thud_.

            Nora had to give him credit. He must have been a trained professional. The broken arm would have caused her to scream bloody murder. But he merely growled and did his best to retaliate as he hit the floor. His speed, while more than likely quite considerable, was nowhere near the level of his opponent. Lightning slapped his fist aside and delivered a hard punch of her own. His skull bounced off the floor. He was out cold. Nora had never seen someone move so quickly in her life.

            Lightning sifted through the man’s pockets. He had no wallet and no ID. “Get up and belt in.” She said, rising to her feet and lifting the man bodily from the floor.

            Nora quickly did what she was told. She then watched as Lightning moved to the door of the plane. “What are you doing?”

            “Taking out the garbage.” The assassin said. She hit the intercom. “Fang? We had a stowaway.”

            “You two alright?”

            “Yeah. He was small time. No wallet. No ID. I’m tossing him out. Just wanted you to know.”

            “Fair enough. I’ll keep her steady.” Fang offered in return.

            Lightning pulled the lever and held on as the door flew open. She released her hold on the unconscious mercenary. He whipped out into the air. She struggled to pull the door closed.

            She then moved back, picked up the tazer and inspected it. After, she sat back down opposite Nora. “Here.” She said, tossing the weapon to her. “Keep that on you at all times.”

            “Why?” The woman responded, picking the implement up and looking it over.

            “Because you should be armed, but I don’t trust you with a gun.” Lightning said. “That way you can have something to protect yourself in case the shit hits the fan.”

            Nora put it in her pocket and sat there, staring at Lightning with wide eyes.

           “What?” Lightning asked after a few minutes.

            “You just threw a man out of a plane.” The blonde said.

            “I know.” Lightning said. “What’s your point?”

            “Was that necessary?” Nora asked her. “Couldn’t you have just…?”

            “Okay.” Lightning leaned forward. “I didn’t think I was going to have to do this. I didn’t think, I mean I hoped you weren’t going to be one of _those_ , but I guess you are. So here’s how we’re going to do things.” She looked directly into Nora’s eyes. “Fang and I? We’re going to be killing a hell of a lot of people because of you. We don’t want to hear you complaining and bitching about every life we take. We _won’t_ listen to it. We were hired to get you to a designated place at a designated time. All we need from you is to shut the fuck up and do what you’re told. Do _that_ , and I promise that you’ll make it out of this alive.”

            Nora narrowed her eyes. “Look.” She said, getting tired of being treated like a parcel. “I get that I don’t matter to you beyond how much money I’m worth. But would it kill you to be _human_? Would it _really_ bother you that much to at least _pretend_ you care that I’m a person and not a piece of post that needs delivering?”

            Lightning stared at her a long moment. “That’s funny coming from you.”

            Nora looked confused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

            “You were a leading scientist in the L’Cie program.” Lightning gave her a cold grin. “Back there and back then, you didn’t seem too worried about me maintaining my compassion, my humanity.” She cocked her head. “Emotion breeds doubt. Doubt means death. Sound familiar?”

            Nora swallowed hard. She remembered the words very well. It was the backbone of the combat L’Cie mental conditioning program. “I wasn’t a part of that.” She said, weakly.

            “Of course not.” Lightning said, leaning back. “That was someone else’s job.”

            “Look, I know you wanna blame me for…”

            “I don’t blame you.” Lightning said, shaking her head. “If I did, I’d have killed you the moment I met you.”

            “You really are a heartless bitch, aren’t you?” Nora asked her. “When we land in Los Angeles, I’m calling Cid and telling him to cancel this contract.”

            “No.” Lightning said. “You’re not.”

            “Why shouldn’t I?” Nora asked her.

            “Let me explain something to you, Mrs. Estheim.” Lightning again sat forward. “You don’t want me to be your friend. You don’t want me to care. You don’t want either of us to give two shits about you. You know why?”

            “No.” Nora returned.

            “Because if we become friends?” Lightning slowly shook her head. “We’ll start to worry about you. We’ll worry about you getting _hurt_. That’s the last thing you want.”

            “How does that make any sense?” Nora asked, incredulously.

            “Because at it sits, we only need you to _survive_. Whether you get injured or not doesn’t matter to us. We _only_ need to get you to Japan alive. We don’t have to worry about every little bruise and scrape you get. As long as you can still do your job when this is all said and done is something we can operate around. But if we’re suddenly buddies? Then Fang and I are going to be compromised. We won’t be able to concentrate on keeping you _alive_ , because we’ll be too busy worrying about whether or not you’re _alright_.” She cocked her head. “See my point?”

            “You have to stay distant and heartless to do your jobs properly?” Nora asked her.

            “Exactly.” Lightning said. “I’m sure you’re a very interesting person and have a great personality. But I don’t care. I don’t care because I can’t afford to. And I know the fact that I can so callously chuck a man out of plane without a single shred of remorse disgusts the shit out of you. I just find it incredibly hypocritical on your part.”

            “Because I was part of the L’Cie program. I helped create people that do exactly what you do.”

            “There you go.” Lightning said. “I’m sure you had your reasons.”

            “The same as yours.” Nora said. “To provide for my family. I was directly out of college. Twenty two years old and offered a position that earned me almost a hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year.”

            Lightning raised an eyebrow. “That’s a damn good salary for a graduate.”

            “That’s what I thought. Fal’Cie was a mainstay in the Genetic research community. When you said you worked for them, you said everything that mattered. I wanted that kind of prestige.”

            “I can see why.” Lightning returned.

            “I just wanted the best life possible for my son.”

            “I just thought about something.” Lightning said, staring at Nora. “You say you were part of the L’Cie program, but…” She shook her head. “I don’t remember ever seeing you.”

            “Different department. I spent my time in the labs. The combat L’Cie weren’t given access to that.”

            “I remember.” Lightning said.

            “Can I ask you an honest question?” Nora asked. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” Lightning looked at her. “Why did you and Fang kill everyone who was involved that day?”

            “Because I found out the truth.” Lightning said. “Dysley was responsible for the death of mine and Serah’s parents.”

            “According to the records, your father died in a car wreck and your mother died of Leukemia.” Nora said.

            Lightning shook her head. “That’s what I was led to believe. I got an email with a file number a few weeks before Fang and I went through with it.” Lightning rubbed her eyes with the butt of her hands. “The brake lines on my dad’s car had been cut.”

            “How do you…?”

            “The life insurance company did an investigation. They found that the lines had been severed cleanly. We received the money that his life insurance was supposed to pay out, but the company itself didn’t pay the claim. They don’t pay in the event of suicide, which is what they ruled my father did. The money came from a Fal’Cie offshore account. The insurance report was buried. We never knew what happened. I found a copy of the report buried in the back of Dysley’s personal files.”

            “My god.” Nora said, shocked.

            “It gets worse.” Lightning said. “Before my mom met my dad, she was Dysley’s personal secretary. She was aware of all the shady deals he’d made, all the corrupt crap he did as CEO of Fal’Cie. She signed nondisclosure agreements, but she still knew the truth. She had access. Then she left on maternity leave to have me. She decided not to go back and stayed home to raise me. My dad earned enough for us to live comfortably. And as I said, when he died, we got the money, so we didn’t think anything of it, beyond him being dead. We mourned and moved on. Dysley tried getting my mother to come back to the company. For a while, she did. Then she got sick. When I was eleven, she was diagnosed with Leukemia.” She shook her head. “For the first two years, she responded really well to treatment. Then, for reasons that we couldn’t understand at the time, she took a turn for the worse. I remember the visits, the consultations. Nothing was working. She was wasting away and there was nothing anyone could do. The doctors were at a loss. Her cancer had become so aggressive that it had them baffled. They constantly said that what they were doing _should_ have been working, but nothing did.” Lightning wiped the tears from her eyes. “According to the medical records I’d found, Dysley was having her poisoned. He was making sure she never told anyone what she knew. He was under investigation for all sorts of violations. He was paying out millions to keep it quiet, but he was getting paranoid. My mother was one of the only few people that knew firsthand what he was doing. He wanted to make sure she was kept quiet and away from the public eye.”

            “So you think he gave her cancer?” Nora asked. It seemed a little farfetched to her.

            “Think about it.” Lighting said. “How hard would it be? You’re the CEO of the leading Genetic research firm on Earth. You have billions tied up in shady deals and back-alley contracts and there’s one person that knows all your dirty laundry. And cancer is serious enough to take all of that person’s attention for _years_ while everything coming down on you blows over.” She again shook her head. “Not that hard to imagine.”

            “But if Dysley trusted her…”

            “Like I said, he started getting paranoid. He was jumping at shadows. According to everything I read, he was looking at decades behind bars if convicted. My mother was approached by investigators right around the time she started getting worse. She was supposed to give deposition on what she knew, but never got the chance. She was in and out of the hospital so much and sick so often that she could never do it. That was what Dysley wanted.”

            “That explains why you went on that killing spree. What about Fang?”

            Lightning chuckled, and in her best Australian accent; “They killed your parents? Then let’s kill them back.”

            “Just like that?” Nora asked.

            “Fang never really had any love for the Fal’Cie program. To her it was just a means to an end.”

            “What end?”

            Lightning smiled brightly. “Be the baddest bitch on the block.”

            Nora could see the glimmer in Lightning’s eyes when she spoke of the brunette assassin. “You really do love her, don’t you?”

            “With all my heart.” Lightning said, her voice soft. “When I first met her, we couldn’t stand each other. She was so fucking arrogant. She said that there was only room for one alpha female and she didn’t like to share.”

            “What made you two become friendly?” Nora asked.

            “Licorice.” Lightning said, chuckling. “God, that sounds so stupid.”

            “What the hell?” Nora was laughing. “I gotta hear this.”

            “I wanted a bag of black licorice.” Lightning offered. “I put my last dollar into the machine near the cafeteria and hit the button. My candy got stuck. I was, what? Seventeen, eighteen at the time?” She shook her head. “I kicked and pounded on the machine, but no joy. That was when Fang came by. I looked at her and just left. I figured she’d pitch me shit and I didn’t wanna hear it. I got halfway down the hall when I heard her give out a groan. I turned around to see her lift the machine and smash it against the wall. She picked up a package of licorice and tossed it to me. She never said anything. Just threw it to me.”

            “I always wondered what happened to that machine. One day it was there, the next day it wasn’t.” Nora said.

            “That’s when I realized she wasn’t so bad. We actually got to talking a lot after that. I learned she had a sister that was Serah’s age and that she was going through the program for her, just like I was. We had a lot in common.”

            Suddenly the cabin intercom snapped on. “Light? We gotta problem.”

            “Duty calls.” Lightning said, getting up to head to the flight deck.

            Nora watched her go and leaned back, looking out the window as a silver bolt streaked past them. “What was that?” She asked, curiously.


	5. Chapter 5

            Lightning quickly moved up to the cockpit. “What’s the matter?” She asked Fang.

            “We’ve got company.” The brunette said, looking about. “Two birds. And they are _not_ friendly.”

            Lightning dropped into the co-pilot’s seat. “Are you shitting me?” She looked at her wife. “Gran Pulse is throwing _fighters_ at us?”

            “This surprises you?” Fang asked. “Seriously?”

            Lightning groaned and kept her eyes out. “Do we at least know what they are?”

            “They did a flyby, but I didn’t get a good look.” She was watching the skies around them.

            Lightning likewise began peering about. “There!” She said, pointing. “One o’clock high.”

            Fang looked up and narrowed her eyes. “Looks like…L-159 Alcas.” She said, her heart sinking. “Crap.”

            “Can you outrun them?” Lightning asked. “You sure as shit can’t out fight them.”

            “I told you we should have armed this damn thing, but no one ever listens to me.” Fang said. “But answer your question, no. Top speed in this is five hundred eight five miles an hour. They top out at five ninety six. I can climb higher, but their rate of climb is double ours. They’d blow me out of the sky before I got there.” The plane suddenly shuddered. “Dammit.”

            “What was that?” Lightning asked.

            Fang looked at her. “That would be them _shooting_ at us.”

            “Can’t you, I don’t know, take evasive action or something?”

            “This is a god damn _Learjet_ , Light. Not a fucking Raptor.” Fang snarled. She began pushing the control yoke forward. “I tried actually _dogfighting_ in this damn thing and it would fly apart.”

            “Then what are you doing?” The slighter assassin asked.

            “Let’s see how bloody crazy they are.” Fang said. She pushed the plane into a hard dive. The craft shuddered as it descended at speeds it was _never_ meant to go. The altimeter spun as she rushed toward the trees. The pair of tactical fighters struggled to keep pace. Lightning was careful to avoid touching the control yoke, giving her wife ultimate control of the aircraft.

            The heavily forested mountains below them were rushing upward at breakneck speeds. Fang leveled off, grazing the bottom of the plane with the treetops. And still the pair of jets were pursuing. The plane shook as another salvo of shots rattled its frame. Fang twisted the controls this way and that, doing her best to keep from getting blasted from the air. She could hear the plane groan and gripe as she asked it to do things it wasn’t designed to do. “Sunshine, you best go back and strap on a parachute. Chances are good this thing’s a lost cause.”

            “Is it that bad?” Lightning asked her. She could see Fang struggling to pull the control yoke back and gripped the stick in front of her, adding her own strength to the mix. The plane rose back into the air.

            “Those twenty millimeters are gonna tear this thing to shreds before I can find us someplace to land.” Fang said, sadly.

            “I’ll bring one up for you.” Lightning said, jumping out of the seat.

            Fang turned her attention back to the controls. She hated this. She and her wife were sitting ducks in the oversized plane. Yes, it was comfortable as hell, but it was not made to be taken into combat. And she _really_ didn’t expect this. The engines howled as she pushed the throttle forward. She was doing the only thing she could. Another volley of shots tore into the plane. The bullets punched holes across the instrument panel. Sparks shot from the deck in front of her. Screens shattered and popped. “Fuck!” She said, turning her head to the side before she was blinded by flying glass. She banked sharply as she heard the second plane fire. Tracer rounds raced past them with inches to spare.

            Lightning fought her way back to the passenger compartment. “Time to go.” She said to Nora.

            “What’s going on?” She asked. “Are we getting shot at?”

            “Yes we are.” Lightning said, reaching into the compartment underneath one of the sofas.

            “Gran Pulse has _fighter planes_ they can throw at us?” Nora asked incredulously.

            “I would think that would be fairly obvious at this point, wouldn’t you?”  She pulled out a pack and tossed it to Nora. “Put that on.”

            “Is this a parachute?” Nora asked her, fearful.

            “No, it’s a makeup bag.” Lightning said, sarcastically. “Yes, it’s a parachute.” She quickly took hers out and secured it to her body.

            “We’re gonna have to jump?” The blonde asked, looking out the windows.

            “Unless you feel like staying up here and having this thing shot out from around you. That is of course if you don’t catch a bullet first.” Lightning offered.

            “Can’t we touchdown somewhere?” The woman was terrified.

            “You see a landing strip down there?” Lightning asked her. “Were over the Appalachian mountains. Not exactly a territory known for derelict airfields and airports.” Lightning said. “We’re out of places to land out here. You know how to put that on?”

            Nora looked at it and shook her head. “I’ve never had to before.”

            “Here.” Lightning went about quickly demonstrating how to put it on. “Now you know.” She pulled a third from the cabinet went to make her way forward.

            “I really can’t jump out of a plane.” Nora said, scared. “I’m afraid of heights.”

            “I can pretty much guarantee that you’d be afraid of dying more.” Lightning said. She put her hands on Nora’s shoulder. “Look. Either way this goes down? You’re going to fall out of the sky. The only choice _you_ get to make, is whether or not you want several hundred tons of flaming metal around you when it happens.” She then went back to the cockpit.

            Fang kept the plane level. “Next plane we buy is gonna be a goddamn military job with some bloody armor and some goddamn weapons on it.” She said as Lighting came through the door.

            “Yeah, yeah. Bail now, bitch later.” She tossed the parachute at her wife. “Move your ass.”

            Fang engaged the autopilot and climbed out of the seat, pulling her parachute on as she went. She looked at the cockpit one last time. “Goodbye old girl.” She said before following her wife. Lightning moved into the cargo hold and grabbed the pair of large duffel bags, tossing one to Fang.

            “Down!” Lightning said, diving to knock Nora to the ground. Another hail of bullets punched through the plane’s fuselage.

            “Fuck!” Fang shouted as she slammed back against the wall. Blood sprayed across the upholstery. Fang dropped to her knees, clutching her right shoulder. “Son of a bitch.” She said, pain filling her voice.

            “Fang!” Lighting screamed, rushing to her wife’s side. “Are you alright?”

            The brunette shook her head. “Went straight through and broke my damn shoulder.”

            “Can you still work your ‘chute?” Lightning asked her.

            “Yeah.” Fang said. “I can feel it closin’ up. Just hurts like hell. I’ll worry about it once we’re on the ground.” She rose to her feet and moved to the door, booting it open. She then dove out, head first without another word.

            “Come on, Nora, you’re next.” Lightning said.

            The woman moved over and saw the ground whipping past. “I don’t think…” It was the last thing she said before Lightning shoved her out.

            “Be a pussy after you land.” She said, before diving out after her.

            Fang kept her arms tucked in next to her body. She flew toward the ground at breakneck speeds. She turned to her right to see Nora flailing about. She sighed and with a grunt of pain, threw her arms out wide, slowing her descent, causing Nora to close in quickly. She reached out and grasped the blonde. She wrapped her arms about the woman, causing them to accelerate. “I’ve got you.” She shouted into the woman’s ear.

            Lightning, like Fang, kept her body streamlined, racing toward the trees. With seconds to spare, all three of them popped their chutes and drifted slowly into the canopy of the forest. They turned west to see the fighters still circling the jet, chewing holes in it. A barrage struck one of the engines, causing it to blow apart in a flaming hail. The plane pitched over sideways and began spiraling toward to the ground in a slow arc.  

            They crashed down through the trees, keeping their limbs close to minimize the chance of getting hurt. In the distance a massive explosion rang out signaling the loss of twenty five million dollars. “That hurts.” Fang said, sadly.

            It took twenty minutes to get down from the trees and meet up.

            Nora was visibly trembling. “Oh my god.” She said, staring at the pair. “I can’t believe we survived that.”

            “Yeah, great.” Fang said, leaning against a tree. She had her hand pressed to her shoulder. “Christ, this hurts.”

            “Let me see.” Nora said. “I had to go through med school.” Both she and Lightning helped remove Fang’s body armor. The bullet had torn through the armor, clothing and flesh beneath. In the half hour since receiving the wound, it had already stopped bleeding, and was beginning to scab over. “Holy shit. That’s incredible.” She said, admirably. “This level of healing is…I’ve never seen anything like it.”

            “Yeah, I heal fairly quickly.” Fang said. “Another day or two, I’ll be right as rain.”

            “Your shoulder is dislocated because of the bullet.” Nora offered.

            Fang looked to Lightning. “Do it.” She said, firmly.

            Her wife stepped up and gripped her arm. “You ready?” As Fang blew out a breath and nodded, Lightning pulled. A loud _thock_ resulted.

            Fang growled and leaned against the tree. “Give me a sec.” She gingerly moved her shoulder about. “Yeah, that’s not gonna work.”

            Thinking quickly, Nora used part of the parachute and crafted the tall assassin a makeshift sling to keep the arm immobile. “That should help. Keep it warm and still for a little bit and you’ll be alright.” She then looked at Lightning. “Any idea where we are?” She asked.

            The pink haired woman pulled out the satellite phone and checked the GPS. “According to this, we’re about five miles due east of Gertrude. Some ghost town. Not a lot of info on it.” She looked at Fang. “We’ve got maybe four hours of daylight. I say we head that way and camp there for the night. From there it’s another nine mile hike south-by southwest to Durbin.”

            “Yeah, I don’t fancy makin’ that walk in the dark.” Fang said. “Let’s get moving.”

            “We’re walking five miles?” Nora asked, incredulously.

            “You got a better idea?” Fang asked her. “Not like we can call for a taxi out here.” She shouldered the bag and began walking. “Try and keep up, sweetheart.”

            It took almost three hours to make the long trek through the thick forest. Lightning took point, keeping her eyes on the horizon. Fang, uttering not a word of complaint, picked her way through the undergrowth, unable to use her right arm. Shadows clawed at the small collection of ramshackle buildings that made up the small frontier town of Gertrude, West Virginia.

            The trio took shelter in one of the buildings and waited out the night. Lightning took the liberty of getting a fire going. Soon the three of them were illuminated by the flames. “Here.” She said, handing Nora a bottle of water and a protein bar. “Eat something.”

            Nora took it and unwrapped it. “You do know that these things really aren’t all that much healthier for you than a regular candy bar, right?” She nevertheless took a bite of it, before taking a drink of the water.

            “We don’t eat them because they’re healthy.” Lightning said, unwrapping Fang’s before handing it to her. “We eat them because they’re loaded with carbs and protein. For people whose metabolisms move at the speeds ours do, we don’t really have to sweat the calories.”

            “That and they’re easy to carry.”  Fang said, scarfing down her bar. She then took a pull off her water. She was content to relax against the wooden wall as Lightning rested against her left side.

            “How’s your arm?” The pink haired woman asked.

            “Hurts.” Fang said, simply. “I can feel it healing. It usually hurts like hell when it does that.”

            “Will you be able to use it by morning, you think?” Lightning asked her.

            “Probably.” Fang said. “Never taken a shot that hard before. First through and through.”

            Nora watched the pair and could see the connection they shared. It wasn’t just love she saw, though there was plenty of that in there. She also saw a deep seated respect. Her husband served in the military, in a forward theater most of his adult life. He’d spoken of the unshakable bond good soldiers shared with their commanding officer and with each other. It was the kind of love that was only understandable to those that had _been there_ and _done that_. The kind of bond that was for a brother in arms that you not only respected, but you _believed in_.

            These two women shared _that_ kind of bond. They would both, without a heartbeat’s hesitation, walk into the fires of hell for the other.

            Not wanting to disturb them, but curiosity getting the better of her, she began asking questions. “So…” She gave pause for a moment. “I’ve never gotten a chance to ask this, but what did the L’Cie program do for the pair of you? I mean, I know you’re combat models, but…that didn’t sound right.”

            “I’m strong, she’s fast.” Fang said, smirking.

            “Don’t be an ass.” Lightning said, snickering. “Both of us have increased adrenal activity. Basically, at will, we can activate our fight or flight responses. It affects the pair of us different ways. For me, everything I see slows to a crawl. I become hyper-observant. I can see and hear things that are way beyond what I can normally. My dexterity increases nearly tenfold, as does my eye-hand coordination. Fang here becomes about ten times stronger than your typical professional wrestler.” She looked at Fang. “I think your record is…what?”

            “Five thousand three hundred pounds over my head.” Fang said. “Course I tore a delt doin’ it.”

            “She also weighs nearly four hundred pounds because of her muscle and bone density.” Lightning said. “Both of us also heal about twenty times faster than normal and have programmed skill sets that make us perfect for what we do. I shoot, she drives.”

            Nora looked at the pair of them and was stunned. She smiled widely. “You two truly are success stories.”

            “We’re killers, Doc.” Fang said. “Wouldn’t necessarily call that a success. We still ended up bein’ everything Fal’Cie wanted us to be.”

            “No, you aren’t.” Nora said. “I wasn’t able to read about what you went through as L’Cie, but I was able to review what Cid had on your activities after the purge. Drug kingpins and cartel leaders, human traffickers, mafia bosses and corrupt business leaders. You turn down political killings and private citizens. You’ve even taken it upon yourself to put down warlords and tyrants without any incentive.” She cocked her head. “Whether it’s for pay or not, you only kill the bad guys.”

            The women both stared at her. “Don’t think we’re good people, Nora.” Lightning offered.

            She was still smiling. “I already know the pair of you are. I mean, don’t get me wrong, you’re both bitches, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be good people. You both do…”

            “I swear to god, if you say we do god’s work, I’m gonna shoot you and bury you in these woods.” Fang said, narrowing her eyes.

            “I was going to say you both do what you do to make the world a bit better place for your sisters.” Nora said. “I wouldn’t dare bring god into any conversation I have with the pair of you. I know better.”

            “Smart woman.” Lightning said, nodding. “Get some sleep. We leave at first light.”

            Nora sighed and lay down, staring into the fire. “I know I’m just a payday to the pair of you, but…thank you. For what you’re doing. I do appreciate it.”

            They both watched her as she relaxed on the floor, resting her head on her arm. She was asleep moments later.

            “I love you, Light.” Fang said, softly.

            Lightning let out a contented sigh. “I love you, too. Get some rest. I’ll take watch. Sleep will help you heal.”

            Fang nodded and stretched out, resting her head in Lightning’s lap. She was out in seconds. The pink haired warrior chuckled. Something she was always envious of, was Fang’s ability to literally sleep anywhere. It didn’t matter where they were or what conditions they were in. As soon as her eyes closed, she was out. Lightning, for whatever reason, was always an insomniac. Before she became a L’Cie, her nights consisted of three to four hours of sleep on average. Her bouts would last two, sometimes three days. Even when she did crash, she would only manage seven maybe eight hours before she was awake and refreshed.

            Now, it was worse. When attacks hit, she would stay awake for five or six days and her crashes were no longer than five hours. Her average night’s sleep was two to three. She had to take sedatives to make sure she got enough rest. On missions such as this, her insomnia was a boon. She maintained her edge and precision even without proper rest.

            As the night wore on, she sat silent vigil. She kept Fang from rolling onto her bad shoulder by placing a firm hand on her hip, keeping her where she was. She looked at Nora as the woman tossed and turned in the throes of a dream she couldn’t even speculate on.

            She listened as what sounded like a helicopter flew over in the distance. The sound drifted away and rose louder. She shook Fang awake. “We might have company.” She said, softly.

            Fang awoke and listened to the chopper. “Bell UH-1.” She said, laying back down and yawning. “Probably search and rescue. Most likely got a report about the plane crash and are lookin’ for survivors.”

            “Should we be worried?” Lightning asked.

            “Nah.” Fang said, shaking her head. “That chopper is miles off. They’re not even lookin’ in this area. Plane crashed about twenty five miles west of us. Chances are good they won’t even begin a ground search until dawn anyway.” She closed her eyes. “We’re not gonna get found here.”

            Lightning gently stroked her hair. “Alright. Go back to sleep, love. I’ll see you in the morning.”

            “Love you.” Fang said, softly.

            Lightning took Fang’s hand and kissed the back of it. “I love you, too.” She saw Fang smile before falling asleep. She leaned back and closed her own eyes, settling in.


	6. Chapter 6

 

The tiny forest town of Durbin came into view through the trees at just after noon. Fang reached up and pulled her sling off. She flexed her shoulder, moving it about.

“How’s it feel?” Nora asked her, again inspecting the wound. The scabbing was horrendous, but she could feel that the skin beneath it was healing well.

“Still hurts a bit. More of a dull throb than anything else.” Fang replied. “Gonna be glad when I can get behind the wheel of something so we can stop all of this walking crap.” She looked to Lightning. “The next time I suggest we go camping, remind me of this, will you?”

“We need to find a set of wheels.” Lightning said, looking at the town from the hill. “I don’t see much beyond the typical.” She turned to the other two. “Let’s get this done. I’m hungry as hell and we need to be on the road.”

The group entered the sleepy town and quickly looked around. “God, this really is hillbilly country isn’t it?” Fang asked. “Look at all these four wheel drives.” She pointed along the side of the road. “Ramcharger, K-5 Blazer, K-5 Blazer, Jeep, Jeep, F-250, F-150, Bronco…” She shook her head. “Oh, look. A Subaru.”

“Any of them have for sale signs in the window?” Lightning asked her.

“That one does,” Nora said, pointing. “What is that?”

“1996 Ford Aerostar,” Fang said, moving over to take a look at it. The body and navy blue paint were in rough shape, but the interior looked alright. She popped the door open and opened the hood. “Cologne V-6. Not much for horsepower, but properly maintained, they’ll run forever.”

Nora looked around. “Should you be doing that?”

“I gotta know if it’s got issues if I’m gonna dump…” Fang looked at the price. “Seven hundred dollars on it.” She looked the rig over. “That’s actually not bad for as good a shape as this thing’s in.”

“Ya’ll interested?” A hugely built man with a thick salt and pepper beard asked. The three girls turned to look at him. “She runs great. Haven’t had a lick a trouble from her.”

“Why you sellin’?” Fang asked him.

“Don’t need her,” He said, moving over to stand beside her. “She’s got a hundred and twenty thousand miles on her. I ain’t really had to do any major work. Gave her a full tune up ‘bout three months ago.” He pointed to the brand new Ford Explorer. “Got that, don’t need this.”

“She’s in pretty good shape,” Fang said. She got to the ground and reached underneath the engine. “Feels like she might have a bit of leak, but nothing terrible.”

“Yeah, she’ll leave spots if you let her sit too long,” He said, running his hand over the back of his head. “I can fire her up if you like.”

“Yeah,” Fang said. “Let me hear it purr.”

He nodded and put the key in and turned it. The van fired up without any problem. “She does pull a bit to the left at speeds, but other than that.”

“Let me take it for a test drive right quick,” Fang said to him.

“No problem,” He said, smiling and nodding.

Having decided that the van would work for their purposes – and after talking him down to five hundred dollars even – the three girls were on the road heading south on State Route 92. Lightning had the window down and was not happy. “We really need to get this thing detailed. Smells like something died in here.”

“It does smell pretty bad,” Nora said, looking around. “Can’t complain about the space, though. And these seats aren’t actually that bad.”

“Miss my Knight,” Fang said, grumpily. “I’m in a right mind to go back and beat the son of a bitch to death with this thing.” She shifted gears and let out a sigh as the transmission lugged before finally getting them up to snuff. “We’re buying something else in the next large city we get to.”

Lightning simply nodded, not arguing with her. She didn’t care, in all honesty. Given that it was all coming out of Cid’s pocket, she couldn’t care less. The trio stopped off at a roadside diner and continued on. An hour later, they met up with Interstate 64, heading west. Lightning dialed Serah’s cell phone and let her know what happened.

The van began sputtering and stuttering. “Oh, son of a bitch.” Fang said, angrily. “You piece of shit.”

“Hold on a second.” Lightning said to her sister. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s dying is what’s wrong.” Fang said. “A hundred and twenty thousand miles my ass.” She snapped. “Just a little further, baby.”

“You know…this is beginning to seem like a really bad road trip movie.” Nora said, chuckling.

The van gave a sputter and died. Fang turned the key and pumped the gas, bringing the engine back to life.

“You’ll be in the town of Lewisburg soon.” Serah offered. “There’s a few car dealerships. You should be able to pick up something a little more robust.”

“Yeah, we’ve got less than two miles. We’ll pick something up. Nothing too flashy.” Lightning said, looking at her wife. “You hear that, Fang? We’re trying to be inconspicuous.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Fang said, sadly.

“We’ll call you again when we’ve switched rigs.” She ended the call and sat back.

The van died again a mile out of town. No matter how hard Fang tried, she couldn’t get it started again. Lightning gathered their gear and began walking.

“Piece of bloody crap!” Fang snarled. She growled in rage and gripped the bottom of the van and rose, flipping the vehicle over onto its roof and sent it rolling down the slight embankment to land on its side in the bushes.

“Holy shit!” Nora shouted in shock.

Lightning saw this and rolled her eyes. “Overreact much?” She asked before turning back to the road ahead.

“Gettin’ _real_ tired of walkin’,” Fang said, rage causing her voice to tighten.

Nora sighed and stopped. She turned away from the road and took off her jacket. “Here, hold this.” She said, handing it off to Lightning.

“What are you doing?” The pinkette asked.

“Getting us a ride.” She said. She then unbuttoned her white button down shirt, revealing her black lace bra. She then tied the shirt in a knot under her breasts. “Look. Boobs.” She said before turning back to the road. She put her hip out seductively and lifted her thumb.

In a heartbeat an old black lifted Chevy Scottsdale pickup locked its wheels up, coming to a stop a few feet away from them.

“That was fast.” Fang said as the rig began backing down the shoulder.

Nora plastered on her brightest smile and opened the passenger door. “I really appreciate…” She was shocked to see an _extremely_ attractive and petite Asian woman behind the wheel. She had on a pair of tight jeans, a black tank top, a wide black Stetson and a pair of sunglasses. Fang and Lightning both peeked in over her shoulders.

“Not what y’all was expectin’?” The woman said, smiling. She had an extremely pleasant voice and a comforting southern drawl.

“Not even close.” Fang said, chuckling. “Thanks for stoppin’.”

“What can I say?” The woman said, lookin’ at Nora. “I’m a sucker for blonde hair and big tits.” She motioned to the cab. “Climb on in.”

Fang smiled. “We’ll jump in the back.” She swatted Nora on the butt. “You heard the lady.”

Lightning chuckled as she and her wife stepped up into the back of the truck.

Nora climbed in beside the woman. “We really do appreciate it.”

“No problem.” The girl said, pulling out into traffic. She shifted gears, getting the huge truck up to speed. “That y’all’s van on its side back there?”

“Yeah,” Nora said to her. “We had a few complications.”

“I’ll say.” She took her hand from the shifter and offered it to Nora. “Kim.”

“Nora.” She took the proffered hand. Kim lifted it and kissed the back of it.

As Nora blushed, she smiled. “You seemed more the lady type than these two.”

“You could say that. We’re actually headed to a car dealership if you know of one.”

“I can get you there.” Kim said. “So can I ask you a question?” Nora gave her a nod. “They real or bought and paid for?”

Nora chuckled. Her classic sensibilities wanted to be offended, but in the pretty girl’s defense, she _did_ kind of put her breasts out there to get them a ride. “I’m a natural double D cup.”

“Gotta love a woman that’s corn fed.” Kim said, flipping her blinker on before heading onto the offramp. “Too many fake ass tits out there. Natural’s the way to go.”

Nora untied the knot in her shirt and began buttoning it back up. “Sorry to, you know…”

Kim chuckled. “It’s alright. Just because I’m a girl don’t mean I ain’t a horndog. I knew what you were doin’ the second I saw ya.”

“If you have a phone number, I’d…” Nora began.

Kim lifted her left hand and tapped the ring on her finger. “I just like lookin’,” She said, happily. “I’m not on the prowl.”

“Oh.” Nora said. “Congratulations. Um…who’s the lucky…?”

“Girl.” Kim said. “Vermont, two thousand one. Her name’s Bernie.” She pulled to a stop in front of a Chevrolet Dealership. “Here you go. You take it easy, Nora.”

“Thank you, Kim. Have a good day.” Nora said, climbing out of the rig.

The three of them watched as the truck drove off. Fang turned and looked at the vehicles on the lot. “Right. Let’s go buy a car.”

 

Two hours and over seventy thousand dollars later, Fang was the owner of a brand new Gun Metal Gray 2015 Dodge Charger Hellcat. And she couldn’t be happier.

“Really Fang?” Lightning asked her. “I mean… _really_? We were going for inconspicuous.”

“It _is_ inconspicuous.” Fang said. “It’s just a dark colored sedan. Nothin’ to see here.”

“With better than seven hundred horsepower, and an exhaust profile that sounds like a thunderstorm fucking a battleship and performance numbers that would make a Ferrari jealous.” Lightning said. “Yeah. Real goddamn subtle.”

“Oh, shut up.” Fang said. “It’s got balls to spare and I like it. Besides, you don’t know if we might have to make a run for it.”

“I gotta agree with Fang,” Nora said from the backseat. “It’s nice.”

“A two hundred mile an hour top speed ain’t bad either.” Fang said, grinning. The girls made it out onto Interstate 64.

Lightning kept her eyes on the traffic around them. She looked into the rearview mirror on her door and turned around. “You said this thing can do two hundred miles an hour?”

“Yeah.” Fang said. “She’s a monster alright.”

“Good.” Lightning said, turning back around. “I think you might need it.”

“Why do you say that?” Fang asked her. She looked into the mirrors. She could see the grill of the GMC Denali getting closer. The massive push bumper on the front wasn’t exactly subtle. “That thing’s not gonna slow down, is it?” She asked, curiously. She shifted gears and sped up. “Nice try, asshole.”

“What’s going on?” Nora asked.

“We’re getting chased.” Lightning said. “Relax. This is what Fang does.”

Nora turned around the see a pair in a huge black SUV. As Fang fed more power to the road, the rig behind them answered the challenge.

Fang lowered the window and gave a listen. She then smiled happily. “Well, I’ll be.”

“What?” Lightning asked. “You look happy. That bothers me.”

“Oh, I’m just thinkin’ this is gonna be real interestin’.”

“Why?” Lightning asked her. “Because I hate it when you smile like that.”

“That’s not a stock Denali.” Fang said. “She’s got a tuned LS7 Engine under the hood. She’s laying down near as makes no difference the same power we are.”

“That’s not good.” Lightning said, turning to look. The big SUV was holding tough with the Charger. “Can they catch us?”

“Not on the freeway, they can’t.” Fang said. “They’d have us if we went offroad, but I have no intention of doing that.” She shifted and began accelerating. “Let’s see how good a driver she is.”

The car roared as she blew past the one hundred mile an hour mark. Fang weaved through traffic, her hands on the wheel.

Nora watched her intently. Fang seemed the very picture of calm. She had a smirk curling the side of her mouth. Lightning, for her part, kept her eyes on the vehicle behind them. She turned to see the Denali weaving and leaning as the suspension took the constant shifts in the road.

The GMC caught up and tapped the back of the Charger. “She’s good.” Fang said, pushing her foot down.

“Why aren’t you outrunning them?”

“With all this traffic, I can’t unwind the engine.”

“What do we do?” Lightning asked.

“Gotta get off this highway, strangely enough.” Fang said. “I need an offramp. They don’t have the cornering this thing does. I can out-drive them, but I can’t outrun them. Not in traffic.”

“There’s an exit a mile ahead.” Lightning said, looking at the sat nav.

Fang nodded and kept her eyes on the road signs. She saw what she was looking for and whipped across the lanes, bouncing onto the offramp. The Denali ripped across the white caution strips to follow. Fang never slowed. The ramp led up to Highway 60. She caught air as she shot onto the road. The car slid sideways, sending a minivan into the next lane. “Sorry.” She said, roasting the tires as she accelerated. The Denali smashed into the van but hardly slowed.

Fang raced ahead, keeping her hands tight to the wheel. “Take the next right.” Lightning said. “It’s an older road that goes for miles and then has plenty of turns, twists, and switchbacks. You should be able to lose them.”

Fang nodded. “Gotcha.” The Denali held onto the rear of the Charger. Fang flicked her eyes to the driver. The woman matched her posture. She pushed her glasses up on her face and gave Fang a little wave. “Cocky bitch, ain’t ya?” She said, slamming the shifter back. “Then let’s drive, sweetheart.”

Lightning turned to Nora. “You okay?” The blonde looked at her with wide eyes and nodded. “Don’t throw up in here.”

“I won’t.”

The speeds the pair were reaching was un _real_. Tires squealed and engines growled. They roared past cars as they traveled further and further from town. “You’ve got a hell of a straight stretch here.” Lightning said, looking to her wife. “Use it.”

Fang nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” She pushed her foot to the floor. She ratcheted through the gears. The car pushed past one hundred and forty miles an hour…one fifty…one sixty. The Denali began disappearing into the background. “Catch me if you can.” She said, grinning. She was stunned when she saw the driver of the SUV blow her a kiss. Soon they could no longer see the GMC behind them. Fang kept the power on. She saw a large driveway to the left and took it, screaming off the main road. She immediately slowed and drove up to the large house.

“What are you doing?” Lightning asked.

Fang didn’t answer. She pulled around the house and waited, watching the road. A few seconds later, she saw the form of the black SUV race past on the highway doing better than one fifty. She smiled and pulled away, heading back to the main road. Several minutes later, they were back on Interstate 64 heading west. “That was fun.”

Lightning sighed and shook her head. “Three more days of this shit.” She looked around. “I’m getting hungry.”

Fang chuckled. “When are you not?”

“Let’s put a little distance between us and our shadows and find somewhere to eat.” Lightning said.

Fang nodded. “Good plan.”

It was almost to the West Virginia state line before Fang felt comfortable enough to stop. “Here we are.” She said, pulling off to the side of the road. The lot was covered in pea gravel surrounding a small silver paneled old school diner.

“This looks quaint.” Lightning said, looking it over.

“I think it’s cute.” Nora said, happily.

Fang looked down at the gauges as they parked. “Huh.” She gave an approving nod. “This thing doesn’t get as bad a mileage as I would have thought.”

“How much gas have we used?” Nora asked. “We filled up in Lewisburg.”

“’Bout a half a tank.” Fang responded. “For a six point two liter with seven hundred ponies, that’s not bad.”

“Not really.” Lightning said. “Let’s eat.”

The trio entered the small diner and were greeted with the wonderful smell of home cooked fare and coffee. “God, it smells good in here.” Fang said, grinning.

“I think my cholesterol just spiked walking through the door.” Nora said, chuckling. “I can guarantee you none of us is walking out of this place without a significantly increased glycemic index.”

“Who with the what now?” Fang asked, looking at Lightning.

“Our blood sugar is gonna spike.” The pinkette said.

“Oh.” Fang said. She turned back to Nora. “Why couldn’t you have just said that?”

“Because I paid a quarter of a million dollars for med school and a flashy vocabulary. Be a hell of a waste if I didn’t use it.” Nora returned.

Fang just rolled her eyes. A rather chipper waitress with ‘Trudy’ taped across her nametag approached the three of them. “Howdy.” She said, offering a wide smile. “If y’all wanna follow me, I’ll get ya seated.” She sat them down at a booth along the window. There were no other patrons at the tables and only three at the counter. “Get you something to start ya off?” Nora slid in beside Fang. Lightning sat across from her wife.

“Gimme a coke.” Fang said, flipping open the menu. “Pinky-pie here’ll have coffee.”

“I’ll have iced tea, please.” Nora said. “I’m a bit of a healthier eater. What can you suggest?”

Trudy nodded and gently took Nora’s menu, flipping it to their sandwich section. “Here you are, sweetie.”

Nora looked the options over and was pleasantly surprised. She ended up with a club on whole wheat bread with fat-free mayo, lean chicken, turkey bacon and skim cheese with lettuce and tomato. It even came with a side salad instead of fries.

Lightning, of course, ordered a double bacon cheeseburger with extra cheese and bacon. Fang decided that her wife was on the right track and order the same.

“I’ll be right back with your drinks.” Trudy said, taking the menus with her.

Fang began tapping her fingers on the table with the beat of _Season of the Witch_ by Donovan. Trudy dropped off their beverages. “Should be out in about ten minutes.” She said, warmly.

Lightning closed her eyes and leaned back, crossing her arms. Fang flexed her shoulder, letting out a small grimace. “How are you?” Nora asked. She turned to pull the brunette’s shirt down. “It looks a lot better.”

“Still sore.” Fang said.

Nora looked at Lightning. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah. She’s resting.” Fang returned. “She knows it’s only a matter of time and she’s just centering herself.”

“She’s meditating?”

Fang shook her head. “She’s sleeping.” Dinner was quickly consumed and enjoyed.

Nora belched into her hand and pushed the remains of her salad away. “That was delicious, but I’m stuffed.”

Lightning had awoken and dove into her burger with abandon. Despite being a petite woman in comparison to both her and Fang, she ate with a significant voracity. Fang wasn’t exactly a delicate eater either.

They had just finished eating when Fang’s eyes flicked to the parking lot. “Shit,” She said, shaking her head. “That’s not good.”

“What is it?” Lightning asked, following the larger warrior’s gaze. “Is that…?”

“That same Denali.” Fang said. She watched as the massive four-wheel drive pulled to a stop. “Looks like we’re about to earn our paycheck.”

Nora watched the rig with an ever increasing dread. It was days like this that made her wish she’d gone to Culinary school.


	7. Chapter 7

The GMC Denali pulled up directly beside the gun metal gray Charger. Slowly a tall woman with light brown hair, black slacks, a white t-shirt and a charcoal blazer climbed out of the driver’s side. She had a pair of wire rim glasses upon her pretty face.

Her companion, lean framed with short silver hair, a long black trench coat, and deadly serious eyes stepped out of the passenger door. They both looked down at the muscle car and back to the diner. They entered, looking over at the group.

Fang and Nora saw them. Lightning had her back to the door. She looked Fang in the eye. The brunette gave a nod.

Trudy met the two at the door and offered to seat them. “That would be lovely.” The woman said in a rich, sophisticated voice. Her counterpart didn’t say a word. They followed along behind the bubbly waitress.

As she stepped by, Lightning stuck her arm out, barring the path of the pair. They stopped and looked down at her. Fang looked completely relaxed, resting her left arm on the back of the booth with her hand lying comfortably on the table. She gave the chestnut haired woman a pout and a little wave. Nora just looked terrified.

Lightning slowly turned her head, looking up at the pair. “Not in here. These people are innocent.”

“We’ll see.” The woman said, brushing the pinkette’s arm aside.

Fang watched the pair walk past. She slid her hands under the table and placed them palms up on the lower surface. They were nearly to the table that Trudy stood next to…

Then all hell broke loose.

Fang watched the chestnut haired woman spin, her hand dipping to her hip. At the same time, the muscular brunette lifted the table, tearing it free of the floor with a metallic grind and the cracking of wood.

Nora and Trudy screamed.

To Lightning, everything slowed… _except_ for the silver haired man. His motions were just as smooth and rapid as her own. That fact immediately rattled her. Her hands dove for the butterfly harness on her back. His own went for the inside of his coat.

Fang was stunned as she turned with the table, looking to smash it down over the chestnut haired woman’s head. Her opponent whipped a baton, similar to the ones she carried and struck the table as it came down. The carbon fiber rod came upward connecting solidly. The wood blasted apart, leaving pieces no larger than a quarter.

The dark haired warrior lunged at the woman, looking to bring her superhuman strength into play. She was once again surprised as Chestnut sidestepped, bashing the baton across the side of Fang’s head. The force of the attack nearly made her black out. As it was, she could feel the warmth of blood along the path of the blow. She plowed into the counter, uprooting it and falling to the floor.

“I was told you were strong.” The woman said to her. She reached down with her left hand and gripped Fang by the throat, lifting her from the floor. “I’ve never been so disappointed to be proven wrong.”

Fang gripped her arm and tried to pull it free, but her injured shoulder didn’t have the strength. She instead mimicked the woman’s move and took hold of her throat. “You aren’t wrong,” She said past the burning in her throat. “But I don’t have time for this.” The turned quickly slamming the other woman against the counter, smashing her through it and down into the floor beyond. Chestnut released her hold as she was driven through the surface. She’d heard that Fang was indeed strong. Being what _she_ was, she’d been more confident. Now she was learning that she likewise underestimated her adversary. She wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

The patrons had long since abandoned their meals, leaving the four superhumans to battle it out alone.

Lightning moved so fast that to the outside observer, she was nothing but a pink and black blur. She had her guns clear a heartbeat too late. Her opponent brought his own weapons to bear and began firing. She had only a millisecond to react. She dove to the side and flipped into a sideways somersault, vaulting over the counter. Bullets raced past her by less than a hair’s breadth. The rounds punched into the walls and counter top.

Lightning knew in that instant that she couldn’t out maneuver him. This gunman was just a fast and just as well trained. She ejected the clips in her guns and replaced them with different loads. She then closed her eyes and concentrated. He just kept firing, keeping her pinned down.

She knew what his game was. It showed that he understood tactics as well. Keeping her down as he was, he was essentially taking her out of play. That left Fang and her counterpart to fight. He believed that his companion would eventually overpower Fang and kill her. Then they’d come after her. In his defense, it was a good plan. Well thought out and, if successful, well executed.

But she wasn’t about to let that happen. So she tuned out the sounds of Fang and her opponent duking it out a few feet away. She centered on her own adversary. He was just to the other side of her, firing blindly at the counter. She could hear the sounds of his boots crunching on the linoleum. She smiled. She knew _right_ where he was. She pointed her gun back toward the counter and fired. The armor piercing ammunition cut through the wood like tissue paper. She heard him grunt and fall to the floor. He again unloaded on the wood. She quickly rolled aside as a hail of bullets tore through the counter where she’d been sitting. She really hated this kind of cat and mouse bullshit. She cast a quick glance to the side to see how her wife was doing. What she saw made her heart drop.

Nora rose to her feet and picked up the post that had secured the table to the floor. She used it to smash the window beside her. She then dove out onto the gravel, ignoring the pain of her landing. She quickly climbed into the Charger and ducked down in the backseat. She knew the pair was there for her. If she was out of the way, Fang and Lightning would be able to do their jobs. She peeked through the seats to keep her eyes on her protectors. She’d never really been a religious woman. But suddenly she understood the deeper meaning of the statement _no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole_. So she prayed to whatever god that would listen to see these two delivered from harm.

Fang barely had a chance to breathe before the woman was back on her feet. “You just don’t know when to quit, do you?”

“Not in my vocabulary.” Chestnut returned, loosing a hard right fist. Fang lifted her arm to block it. The concussive force of the blow staggered her to the side. “You’re old school, Fang.” She struck again, but the attack was likewise blocked. “I’m the future.”

Fang batted the punch away and answered with one of her own. It too was blocked, and like her, the woman was staggered back. “Is that so?” She rushed forward, wrapping her arms about the woman’s waist and lifting her from the ground. The pair smashed through a wall and tumbled over the contents of a storage room.

Chestnut landed hard on her back with Fang on top of her. “Guess they don’t build ‘em like they used to.” Fang sneered.

The woman got her foot up and planted her boot into the brunette’s stomach, shoving with all her strength. Fang was thrown clear of her, crashing into the ceiling, bouncing back down to the floor, and partially battering down a wall. The entire ordeal nearly blacked her out. Chestnut was back on her feet in an instant. She moved over and looked down at the dazed L’Cie. “No,” She said, pulling a second baton out and whipping it open. She reached down and, as Fang was on her hands and knees, she touched the bottom of Fang’s chin, lifting her head to look her in the eyes. “They build them _better_.” She lifted the baton to beat the warrior down.  

She barely had enough time to dodge back out of the way as the pink-haired assassin unloaded her pistols at her, thus saving her wife’s life.

“Shit.” She snapped, diving through the wall at the back of the storage room. She came to a rest on the floor of a walk-in freezer. The racks of meat and shelves of boxes tumbled down on top of her as she hit the floor.

Fang rose to her feet, swaying. She’d _never_ taken a hit that hard in her life. She couldn’t believe how strong the woman was. She looked at her wife and smiled at her briefly. She then grabbed a large case of frying oil and hurled it as hard as she could.

The silver-haired gunman jumped up onto the bar taking aim with his own pistols as the crate slammed into him, throwing him from the countertop and sending him sprawling to the dirt.

“We’re leaving!” Fang shouted, running and diving over the counter. Lightning was right behind. Fang grabbed her wife and jumped, turning to plow through the window back first. They crunched onto the ground and were up and on their feet in a heartbeat. Nora saw them land and reached up, opening both doors.

Lightning turned and blew out the tires on the Denali. Fang ran and shoved her shoulder into the driver’s door, pushing the rig onto its side. She knew that the woman would be able to right it fairly easily, but they needed those precious seconds. Any delay they could find would be a good thing. They were in the car and racing away moments later.

Fang grabbed gears and kept her foot planted. For a long time, no one said anything.

“What happened?” Nora finally asked the pair.

“We got our asses kicked,” Fang said, angrily. She _hated_ running from a fight. She’d never done it before and she was feeling rather cowardly at the moment. But she knew the truth. With her wounded shoulder, she wouldn’t have been able to beat the enhanced killer. Maybe not even then.

“Were those,” Nora asked, swallowing. “Were those two L’Cie? I mean, they seemed…”

“Like us.” Lightning said. “But they weren’t genetic. I could hear servos.”

“Cyborgs?” Fang asked. “Explains a lot. Gran Pulse was into that pretty heavily. Didn’t know they’d come this far. Those two were nasty.”

“I’ve never come up against anyone that was as fast as me before.” Lightning said.

Fang looked over at her. She did _not_ like what she heard in Lightning’s tone. The pink haired woman was always the emotionally stable one of the pair. But now, she could hear a spark of fear in Lightning’s voice. And that bothered her. The whole situation bothered her. “I suddenly think we’re not getting paid enough.”

Lightning let out a chuckle. “Nora? You okay?”

“I’m fine. Just a little freaked out.” The blonde responded.

“I hear that.” Lightning said. “How are you?” She asked her wife.

“Got my damn bell rung, that’s for sure,” Fang said. “She was strong, Light. She was too damn strong.”

“Do you think you could have taken her with your shoulder?” Nora asked her.

Fang shrugged. “I don’t know. And that scares the shit out of me.” She looked at the blonde. “You did good getting out of there. That was smart thinkin’. Most people would have just sat there and screamed a lot.”

“I’m not your average escort mission,” Nora said. She leaned back in the seat. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, she was exhausted.

Lightning dialed Serah and put it on speaker. “What’s up?” Serah said. “The West Virginia Highway Patrol’s band is going crazy.”

“We ran into a couple of headhunters.” Lightning said. “They were cybernetic.”

“That tracks. Gran Pulse is to robotics, what Fal’Cie is to genetics. It would only make sense that they’d send their best. Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah, we’re okay. We had to run.” Lightning said, solemnly. “I don’t like the way that feels, but these two were good, Serah. They were very, _very_ good.”

“I don’t doubt. If Gran Pulse wants Nora as bad as Cid made it sound, then this is probably the tip of the iceberg. Fang has to be going nuts with that. Being the domineering bitch she is, she’s used to being the baddest on the block.”

“How right you are,” Fang added. “You’re on speaker, by the way.”

“Oh. Hi, Fang.” Serah said, sheepishly. “You um, weren’t supposed to hear that.”

“Why? It’s not like you’re wrong.” Fang offered. “How’s Cid feel about having to replace our plane?” 

“He was a little stunned when I turned down the offer of him giving us his G650. Granted it’s more modern than the one we had, but it’s also not built for combat. Instead, he’s giving us an MV-22 Osprey.”

“No shit?” Fang asked. “That’s awesome. Those things are nice.”

“Well, you said you wanted something with some combat chops,” Serah said. “So they’re still on your six?” 

“Yeah. We need to know who they are.” Lightning said. “I wanna know what we’re dealing with.”

“Alright,” Serah said, tapping away at her keyboard. “I can try and hack Gran Pulse’s protocols and mainframe, I might be able to see about their…oh, hold on.” There was a click. “Okay, I put you on speaker. Vanille wants in on this.”

“I’ve still got a secure connection.” The redhead offered. “When we were a part of their program, I dropped in a Trojan horse program.”

“You what?” Fang asked. “I didn’t know you could do any of that.”

“I’m a genius, what?” Vanille said, happily.

“Can you crash their system?” Lightning asked her. “Or can you, like, hack these two and shut them down or something?”

“You watch too many movies,” Vanille said. “The only thing this Trojan does is give me access to their databases. I can see what they’re doing, but I can’t really do anything about it.”

Serah took over. “You got me access. That’s enough.” She typed away. “Alright. From what I’m seeing here, there are only a handful of successful actives. Of them, only two have been put on assignment.” She read on and sighed. “Fuck.”

“Fuck isn’t something I wanna hear you say, Serah.” Lightning said, firmly.

“Jihl Nabaat. She was a Green Beret that went off the reservation. Started doing her own missions. Killed in action five years ago in Iraq by an IED. Lost both her arms, her left leg and part of her chest. Gran Pulse got a hold of her. Abilities include enhanced physical strength, reflexes, and endurance. According to her performance tests…”

“She’s stronger than me,” Fang said, interrupting her.

“Ideally, yeah,” Serah said.

“What about the other one?” Lightning asked her. “Skinny guy with silver hair and a bad attitude.”

“Yaag Rosch. A Taiwanese-American. He was a mafia leg breaker in Asia before he ran afoul a Gran Pulse agent. He’s a crack marksman, super-enhanced reflexes, and infiltration protocols.”

“Christ.” Lightning said. “He’s me.”

“This isn’t fair,” Fang said. “We never signed up to fight _ourselves_.”

“Both of you be careful,” Serah said. “These two are dangerous as hell.”

“You don’t need to tell us that.” Lightning said. “We learned it the hard way. We’ll call you later.” She said, ending the call. “You okay to drive?”

“Yeah,” Fang said, nodding. “I’m still pretty wired.”

Lightning leaned back in her seat. She cast a look back at Nora. The woman was asleep. “We’ve got three days to get her to Tokyo.”

“I’m gonna just drive straight through to Los Angeles,” Fang said.

Lightning shook her head. “Drive just until you get tired. Then I’ll take over. I’m not the driver you are, but I can, at least, keep us on the road.”

Fang nodded. “Fair enough,” She said, settling in for the long drive.


	8. Chapter 8

Hour after hour, mile after mile of American highway rushed past them. They stopped for nothing but fuel and food, sustaining on drive-thru. In the mad dash across the nation, Fang and Lightning saw no sign of their cybernetic counterparts.

Both assassins took stints behind the wheel of the muscle car. All three of them were wired, tired and just plain wore out as they entered the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, California.

“Too bad we couldn’t have hit Vegas.” Fang said, chuckling. “Would have been fun.”

“We’ve got different priorities.” Lightning said. “Let’s find a motel. I want a shower and some sleep.”

Fang looked over at her. “You tired, baby?”

“Yeah.” Lightning nodded. She turned to Nora. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay.” The woman offered. “Just wanna stretch my legs a little bit.”

"Christ, I hear that.” The pink haired gunfighter said. “Check it out.” She pointed to the offramp. “Best Western. That’ll work.” She looked to Nora. “You’re gonna have to share a room with us.”

“I kind of expected that.” Nora said, smiling. “I’m a pretty deep sleeper. Just as long as neither of you are screamers.” She added.

Fang chuckled. “We’re screwed.”

“Shut up.” Lightning said, humor in her voice.

Fang continued to laugh as she rolled to a stop in front of the office door. “I’ll go check us in.” She said, stepping out of the car.

“Be careful.” Lightning said. “We can’t leave a paper trail.”

Fang gave her a sweet smile. “Trust me.” A few minutes later, they entered their accommodations. Two queen sized beds sat in the center of the room. To the left of the door sat a chest of drawers with a silver minifridge next to it. A microwave rested on top of the fridge. A flatscreen television was bolted to the wall above the dresser.

Nora immediately walked to the bed furthest from the window and flopped back onto it. “This is nice.”

“I’m gonna go in a grab a shower.” Fang said. She pulled Lightning in and kissed her. “Love you.” She said, softly.

“I love you, too.” She deepened the kiss. “Don’t take too long. And don’t use all the hot water.”

“I’ll be quick.” Fang said, resting her forehead against that of her wife. She was content to stand there a moment before gathering a pair of shorts and a tank top.

Lightning moved over and sat down on the second of the beds. “I’m just curious.” Nora said, sitting up. “Fang had to show her ID to check in.”

“Fake ID.” Lightning said. “We have several that we use. I also sent a text to Serah in the car. She’s hacking the Hotel’s database as we speak. She’ll change their records to show that instead of three single women checking in, it’s something like a married couple with their kid. Just a family on vacation. No one would think twice about that.”

“Is that part of a system you have in place for things like this?” Nora asked her.

Lightning nodded. “We travel all over the world. And being what we are, we can’t leave an electronic trail. It’s harder to do these days, information age being what it is. It’s safer for everyone involved if we can move off the grid.” Lightning said to her. She pulled her shoes and socks off. She wiggled her toes and sighed. “That’s better.”

Nora watched as Lightning meticulously pulled her clothing off. Soon, she stood in nothing but a pair of black lace undergarments. She immediately saw what Fang saw in the woman. Lightning’s form was lean and toned. She was thin, but not frail. Like a good blade of steel. Her muscle rippled as she moved. Scars littered her form nearly from head to toe. But such blemishes seemed at home on the pink haired woman’s body. It was just proof that hers was a life less ordinary. The sound of a clearing throat caused her to snap her eyes up to Lightning’s face. An iron hard scowl greeted her. “Does your husband know you stare at other women like this?”  

She looked away sheepishly. “Sorry.” She said. “I was just, I mean I see what your wife sees in you.”

“I’m happily married, Nora.” Lightning said, her tone softening. “And as Fang would be wont to say…” She grinned at the woman. “I’d ruin you.”

“Damn right she would.” Fang said, stepping out of the bathroom, drying her hair. “Showers all yours, Light.” She pressed her lips to her wife’s as Lightning stepped by.

Nora took a moment to compare the two of them. Where Lightning was pale and thin, Fang was tanned and _built_. She had a grace that reminded Nora of the panthers, tigers, and lions she’d seen in the zoos and on television. Lightning had a calm inner dangerous, but Fang was just… _predatory_ in the way she moved. She always seemed at ease, relaxed. But she’d seen firsthand what both women were capable of.

And the fact that there were two others out there that were equals was just _terrifying_.

Fang walked over and dove onto the bed. She lifted the flyer for a local pizza delivery joint. “How do you feel about pizza?” She asked Nora.

“I like pizza.” The woman said, nodding. “I don’t think I’ve met anyone that doesn’t.”

Fang chuckled as she dialed the number. “Neither have I.”

Forty-five minutes later, the three of them sat on the beds watching television and munching on the pizzas and chicken wings while sipping on soda. They casually chatted as the evening lazed by.

Suddenly the phone of the room rang. Fang absently reached over and lifted it. “Yeah?” She asked. When she didn’t receive an answer, she shrugged and hung it up.

“What was that?” Lightning asked.

“Nothin’ on the other end. Probably a wrong number.” Fang said, taking a bite of her slice. She saw Lightning’s face and furrowed her brow. “What?”

“Nora, go into the bathroom.” Lightning said, jumping from the bed to stand beside the door to the room.

The blonde did what she was told without hesitation.

Fang understood immediately. “How many?” She asked quietly.

Lightning closed her eyes and concentrated. She heard the footsteps on the walkway outside the door. She held up three fingers. Fang nodded and moved over, pressing her ear to the door.

“They’re armed.” Lightning said, matter of fact.

Again Fang gave her a nod. She let out a breath, then drew back and drove her fist through the wood. The blow caught the first would-be attacker across the face, sending him flying over the railing of the second floor to slam down onto the parking lot below in a grotesque _crunch_. He didn’t get back up. The second gunman pointed his weapon and fired. The pistol round smacked into Fang’s chest but did little to stop her. She gripped his head in her right hand and spun, slamming his face into the wall beside the door, cracking the wood and his skull in equal measure. His gun went flying from his fist.

Lightning ducked below Fang’s right shoulder and slid out onto the catwalk. In one deft move, she reached up and snatched the falling gun from the air. She pressed it into the final assassin’s gut firmly and emptied the magazine. The man fell away, dead.

A sudden scream and racket from the bathroom caught their attention. The pair ran to the far side of the room. Lightning tossed the empty pistol aside and pulled one of her Glocks from her harness as she leaped over the bed. She arrived first and tried the door. “It’s locked!” She drew back to fire at the knob, but Fang shoved her aside.

“You might hit Nora.” The brunette offered. She then punched her hand through the door and ripped it free.

They watched with wide eyes as Nora put a hard boot into the killer’s knee, dropping him to the floor. She wrapped her fingers in his hair and drilled him hard in the face three times in rapid succession. As he knelt dazed, she turned and grabbed the lid of the porcelain tank on the back of the toilet and smashed him over the head with it. The heavy white material shattered across his skull. He hit the ground and didn’t get back up.

Fang gave her a wide smile. “Not bad.”

Nora was breathing heavily as she stood there, trembling. She dropped the makeshift weapon and turned, vomiting into the toilet.

“That’s just gross.” Lightning said, shaking her head and turning back to the room. “We gotta go. Police are gonna be all over this.”

After cleaning herself up, Nora followed Fang and Lightning as they packed up their gear and made for the Charger.

“Just head for the airport.” Lightning said, massaging her temples.

Fang looked at her. “You alright?” She asked, concern thick in her voice.

“I’m just tired.” Lightning said. “Before all of this started, I was running on day three.”

“That’s almost five days, Light.” Fang said. “You know you aren’t supposed to go that long.”

“I know.” She said, shaking her head. “God willing, I can sleep on the plane.”

“Fang, how are you?” Nora asked. “I saw wounds on your chest.”

“Oh, I got shot.” She said. She shrugged. “It’s alright, though. It was just a .22 assassin special. Barely even penetrates the skin. I’ve got worse shavin’ my legs.”

Nora never thought _that_ was something she’d hear someone say. They moved through the city toward LAX. Suddenly the car jolted horribly as a massive black GMC Denali rammed into them. The rear window shattered.

“Fuck!” Fang shouted, doing her best to maintain control. She immediately shifted into a higher gear. “Christ on a goddamn crutch. This bitch doesn’t know when to quit, does she?”

Lightning, now angered beyond belief, undid her seatbelt and dove between the seats into the back of the car. “Nora, keep down. Just keep ahead of them.” She said, pulling her pistols free. She leveled them and unloaded both magazines on the rig.

“How do they keep finding us?” Nora asked, terror in her voice.

Fang slowed and threw the Charger into a drift, sailing around a corner at over ninety miles an hour. “Your guess is as good as ours, love.”

Lightning felt a wave of disappointment when the bullets sparked and whined off the front of the vehicle. “It’s armored.” She snarled. She saw the woman behind the wheel laugh and blow her a kiss. “Bitch.” She said, dropping down below the level of the seats. “These two are _really_ starting to piss me off.”

Fang weaved in and out of traffic, doing her best to lose the large SUV. She shifted gears again and shot across an intersection. The Denali plowed through a compact car, sending it away in hail of sparks and sheared metal debris. Jihl barely even slowed. “Can’t you use your AP rounds?”

Lightning put her pistols back and pulled open the duffel bag on the seat. “That armor’s too thick. It would take too long.” She pulled a massive AA-12 Automatic shotgun from the bag. “Time to move up to the majors.”

“Oh snap.” Fang said, chuckling. “Shit just got real.”

Lightning slid a large 20 round drum into the rifle and loaded it. “Cover your ears.” She said to Nora.

“What’s in that?”

“Armor Piercing Incendiary.” Lightning said, rising up to take aim. She braced herself and let fly. The thunderclap of the weapon sent shockwaves through the car. The slugs immediately tore at the front of the Denali, blasting the armor to nothing but superheated slag. The window disintegrated in a heartbeat.

Jihl cursed and wrenched the wheel to the right, moving off of the road. Lightning continued to fire, blowing holes the size of a softball in the side of the armor. She moved back and fired at the rear of the vehicle, lancing several flaming hot bullets through the fuel tank.

In a fiery _whump_ , the GMC was engulfed in flames. Unlike the movies, the SUV didn’t explode like it was filled with nitroglycerin, but it was a flaming wreck as it barreled into a parked car.

As they raced away, Lightning could see the door blast away from the rig and Jihl step out, tearing off her flaming jacket. The pink haired woman couldn’t help but snicker. “Now we’re even, bitch.” She said, grinning. “Let’s go.”

Thanks to a phone call from Serah, the ladies were escorted to a private plane as soon as they arrived at LAX. They were able to bypass the terminal completely.

The trio sat and waited for the plane to take off. “Nora, give me your right arm.” Lightning said.

“What’s going on?” The woman asked.

“I know how they’ve been following us.” She said, pulling her pocket knife out. “This is gonna hurt.”

Nora gritted her teeth, but let Lightning work. The pink haired woman made a small incision and used her knife to pull the RFID tracker out of Nora’s skin. Fang was right there with a bandage. “Vanille put that in.”

Lightning held it up. “And I’m betting they somehow got the frequency and have been using it to follow us. That’s the only way to explain it. We’ve been pretty careful otherwise.”

Nora checked the bandage on her arm and gave Fang a nod. “I didn’t think of that.”

Fang took the tracker and crushed it between her finger and thumb. “There we are. Now we shouldn’t have to worry.” She dropped back and relaxed. “God, this has been a horrible ordeal. Be glad when it’s over.”

Lightning leaned against her wife on the sofa and crossed her arms. “So am I.”

Nora watched the pair and couldn’t help but feel bad for them. Everything they’d gone through had been for her. It was times like this that made her wish she didn’t know what she knew. “I’m sorry.” She said to the two of them.

“What are you sorry for?” Fang asked her. Lightning opened an eye to regard the woman.

“I wish I wasn’t responsible for all of this.”

“You’re not.” Fang said. “You did what you did and you know what you know. Wasn’t your fault that people would wanna start wars for it. You just wanted to make a better world. There’s no harm or shame in that.”

“It wasn’t to make a better world, Fang. I knew at the beginning what the L’Cie program was. It was to make weapons.” Nora said, shaking her head. “To breed killers.”

“So what if it was?” Lightning said, sitting up. “You had a hand in that.” She shrugged. “So what?”

“What do you mean, _so what_?” Nora asked her. “I’m the catalyst for…”

Lightning pulled a gun from her holster and tossed it into the woman’s lap. “Kill yourself.” She said, staring Nora in the eye. “Do it. Safety’s off. It’s chambered. All you gotta do is pull the trigger. Lightning reached over and touched the spot just behind Nora’s left ear. “Right there. Perfect position. Guaranteed kill shot. You won’t even feel it.”

Nora began to tear up. “I…”

Lightning snatched the gun up and stood, pointing it at the woman’s head. “You want me to do it for you?”

“Light, that’s enough.” Fang said.

“No. It’s not.” She stared down at Nora. “Do you want me to kill you? End all this misery and pain that you’ve caused?”

Nora rose to her feet and stood. “Yes.” She said her voice quaking. “Everything I’ve done and everything I know is too dangerous…”

Lightning tucked her pistol back into her holster. “That you’re willing to let me, is precisely the reason I haven’t.”

“What…?” Nora didn’t understand.

“You _do_ wanna make a better world, Nora. You being willing to sacrifice your own life to make sure what you know doesn’t fall into the wrong hands proves that. Yes, you took part in something horrible. You understand that. You know what mistakes were made and you feel enough regret over them to never let it happen again. But Cid was right. There’s a lot about what Fang and I are that can do some good. Genetics on our level can eliminate disease, can give people that deserve it a new lease on life. _That’s_ the world, deep down, you’ve always wanted to create. And Fang and I are gonna protect you and make damn sure you get that chance.” She put her hand on Nora’s chest and gave her a push. She fell back onto the sofa. “Besides that, no matter how hard we try, we’re never gonna be able to be as hard on you as you are on yourself.”

Nora sat there, staring at the pink haired killer. “I wanted you to do it, you know.”

“I know you did.” Lightning said, settling in against her wife. “But I don’t kill innocent people.”

“I’m not innocent.” Nora said.

“You are to us.” Fang said, smiling at her. “And to us, that’s all that matters.”


	9. Chapter 9

Fang and Lightning readied to depart the plane. “Do you have some way to get in touch with your contact?” Lightning asked Nora.

The woman nodded. “I have a phone number that Cid gave me. He said to contact him once I reach Japan. I should get instructions from there.”

“You ever spoke to this person before?” Fang asked her. “Do you have any idea what to expect?”

Nora shook her head. “No. I was just given a name and a phone number. Cid said he trusts them. That’s all I know.”

Lightning and Fang looked at each other. Neither of them said anything. But they didn’t have to. Lightning then turned to Nora. “You know how to speak Japanese?”

“Cid made sure I learned. Do either of you?”

“Zenzen-go (No. Not at all).” Lightning said, shaking her head. “Come on.” She said to Fang.

“Smart ass.” The brunette returned.

As soon as the plane landed and taxied, the three of them were out and moving across the terminal. “We need a car.” Fang said.

“You blew seventy grand on that fucking Charger. You’re not buying another monster. We’re renting.” Lightning said.

Fang looked at her wife. “Serah sent Snow to pick it up at the airport and drive it back. It’s not like we lost it.”

“We’re renting a car, Fang. Besides, we get the extra insurance and it won’t matter what we do to it.” Lightning said. “And it’s gonna come in real handy not having to throw down the cash to get shit repaired.”

“It really saddens me that you two have actually thought about this.” Nora said.

“Oh, our insurance company hates us.” Fang said. “I mean, we pay an arm and a leg for premiums, but we got a plan that you wouldn’t believe. I think our shit covers nukes.”

Lightning shook her head. “Just the building. The vehicles don’t have that kind of policy.” She thought a moment. “Maybe the Knight might, I can’t remember.”

Fang chuckled. “I like my Knight.”

The group made for the car rental desk. “I’ve got this.” Fang said, sliding up to the counter. Lightning listened and groaned as Fang laid down what she was looking for.

She shouldn’t have been surprised. “Something big and fast.” was the woman’s expectations. Thus, she wasn’t necessarily surprised when the group ended up with a five hundred and seventy horsepower BMW M5. “It’s bloody nice in here.” Fang said as they pulled away from the airport terminal.

“For just shy of two and a half bills a day, it fucking better be.” Lightning said, angrily. She looked at her wife. “Do you have some sort of psychosis that _prevents_ you from driving something understated and sensible? I mean, seriously Fang?”

“I got preferences, what?” The woman said back. “Not my fault. Blame Fal’Cie. I do.”

“They gave you the skills to drive, Fang. They didn’t make you a horsepower elitist.”

“How do you know?” Fang asked her. “Before I was a part of their program I never really had an interest in cars.”

“Before you joined their program, you were like, thirteen. A thirteen-year-old girl doesn’t really have much of an interest in anything.” Lightning returned.

Fang couldn’t readily argue that. She put her foot down, accelerating down the street. “Tell me that doesn’t sound good.” She said, referring to the growl of the engine. “Go on, tell me.”

“It sounds expensive.” Lightning said.

“Light, we’re billionaires.” Fang said, looking at her. “And all of this shit is a tax right off anyway. This car’s a business expense.” She gave Lightning a smile. “Just a really, really nice and fun one.”

The pinkette sighed and shook her head. It wasn’t the first time she’d have the conversation with the woman and she was fairly certain it wouldn’t be the last. As they ground to a halt, she snickered. “Yeah. Nothing like having five hundred ponies and a two hundred mile an hour top speed and being able to do a whole three mph.” She looked to Fang. “Good call.”

“You need to relax.” Fang said. “How about some music?” She asked, flipping on the radio. After a few seconds of searching, she grinned. “Here we go.” She tapped along on the steering wheel while they sat in traffic.

“Baby…when I think about you, I think about love.” Nora began singing from the backseat. “Darlin', I don't live without you…and your love.” She bobbed her head as she drummed on her legs. “If I had those golden dreams, of my yesterday. I would wrap you…in the Heaven 'til I'm dyin' on the way.”

“Feel like makin’, _duh-duh duh, duh-duh duh, duh-duh duh_ , Feel like makin’ love, _duh-duh duh, duh-duh duh, duh-duh duh_ , Feel like makin’ love, _duh-duh duh, duh-duh duh, duh-duh duh_ , Feel like makin’ love, _duh-duh duh, duh-duh duh, duh-duh duh_ , Feel like makin’ love to you.” Fang belted out, looking at Lightning with a smile.

The woman shook her head, chuckling. “You two are hopeless.”

Nora and Fang grinned at each other and continued to serenade Lightning with the classic Bad Company tune.

The smile never left the woman’s face as her driver continued to belt out seventies, eighties, and early nineties hits. It was nice to be able to relax a little.

The trio pulled up to a large Hilton Hotel. “We’ll get checked in and you can call your contact and get everything set up.” Lightning said to Nora. The woman nodded as the ladies climbed out of their rig.

Fang waved off the bellhop and handed the keys to the valet. The three of them walked into the lobby and took everything in. Nora was impressed with how fancy it was. Lightning and Fang were assessing threats. They committed the layout of the front lobby to memory before moving up to the front desk. Fang covered the check in as business woman Felicia Bernhardt from Britain attending a meeting with her two retainers. She didn’t give Lightning or Nora’s names.

The young woman behind the desk didn’t even bat an eyelash. She took the information and wasn’t surprised in the least when Fang paid cash for the room. “Thank you.” Fang said in pitch perfect Japanese as took the key cards. They made their room and deposited their bags.

Lightning pulled her phone out and quickly dialed Serah as she made her way into the bathroom.

“Hey, sis.” Serah said. “You guys in the hotel?”

“Yeah.” Lightning said. “Hilton Tokyo Odaiba.”

“Nice place.” Serah offered.

“I need you to trace a call that’s gonna be made from our room in a couple of minutes. I wanna know where it goes and who receives it. I also need you to find out if anyone else is tracing it.”

“You…do know that’s next to impossible, right?” Serah said, matter of fact.

“So?” Lightning asked. “Your point?”

“How do you even know that I know how to do that?”

“Because you’re my sister and you’re the world’s most premiere computer hacker, that’s why.” Lightning said. “The US Government comes to you when people crack the Norad and Pentagon databases. You designed their fucking security.”

“Better be careful.” Serah said, giggling. “That almost sounded like a compliment.”

“Complimenting you on your skills would just be redundant.” Lightning said. “Call me back when you have the intel.”

“Will do.” Serah said, ending the call.

Lightning left the bathroom and looked to Nora. “Make the call. The sooner we get you someplace safe, the better off we’ll all be.”

Nora moved over to the phone on the nightstand and lifted it, dialing for an outside line.

Lightning leaned closer to Fang. “I called Serah. She’s running the call to see who else is listening in and where the line is going.”

“Why have her do all that?” Fang asked.

“Covering our asses. I’m betting hard cash we’re already being watched.”

“Since the airport.” Fang said. “Light blue Prius stayed with us all the way from the airport. I even took a pair of dogleg corners to see if it was tailing us.”

“Our Gran Pulse counterparts?” Lightning asked her.

Fang shook her head. “No. Just a trio of suits. Probably locals.”

“Yakuza?”

Fang shook her head. “No. Yakuza wouldn’t get involved in something like this. And they wouldn’t let their boys play in this pool either. Anyone who did is looking at a blade across the throat for going off the reservation.”

“Who’s the local leader, do we know?” Lightning asked. “Might be nice if we had someone friendly on the ground.”

“Hamoto Saguchi.” Fang said. “But he’s not gonna be friendly. This is an American problem. We’re on our own.”

“Damn.” Lightning cursed. “But we can, at least, count on him not to interfere, right?”

“Yeah.” Fang returned, pointing to Nora. “She’s done.”

Nora turned to the pair, holding an address. “I have to go to the Tsumori Shrine in Iwaki. It’s about…”

“A hundred and thirty-five miles.” Fang said. “I know where it is.”

Lightning looked at her. “How can you _possibly_ know that?”

“I’m a nerd.” Fang said. “So we stay here tonight and make our way tomorrow.”

Nora nodded. “I’m okay with that.” She got to her feet and rummaged through her bag. “I’m gonna grab a shower.”

Lightning and Fang dropped to the bed as the woman entered the bathroom. “Leave the door partway open.”

“Excuse me?” Nora asked, poking her head back out.

“In case you get jumped in there.” Fang said. “It’s a possibility. The extra pair of seconds it takes for either of us to get through the locked door makes a difference.”

Nora couldn’t argue with her. “No peeking.”

“Yeah, you ain’t that hot.” Lightning said, shaking her head. She turned to Fang. “Food.”

Nora sighed and went in to clean up.

Fang rolled over and picked up the room service menu. “Holy crap.” She said, looking at the prices. “This food better be damn good for that price.”

Lightning looked at it over her shoulder. “It’s not that bad.”

“Six dollars and forty cents for half a damn grapefruit?” Fang asked, looking at her. “Are you _shitting_ me?”

“It’s room service in a four-star hotel, Fang. What do you want?” Lightning said.

Fang tossed the menu down and got to her feet. “We’re going out. Fuck that shit.”

“Seriously?” Lightning said. “We’re being pursued by hardened killers and you wanna go on a date?”

Fang moved over and straddled Lightning’s lap. “At least it won’t be boring, yeah?” She said leaning in to kiss her wife.

Lightning’s hands found their way to Fang’s bottom and gave a squeeze as she melted into the embrace. It bothered her that Fang won _way_ too many arguments this way. “Fine.” She said as they pulled apart breathlessly. “But I pick where we’re going.”

“I’m not eating sushi again.” Fang said. “I got sick as hell last time.”

“No sushi, I promise.” Lightning said. “There’s a few nice buffets across the bay.”

“That’ll work.” Fang said, dropping down onto the floor to kneel in front of her wife. She leaned forward and rested her head on Lightning’s legs. “I’m gonna be _so_ glad when this crap is over.”

Lightning’s cell phone suddenly rang. She lifted it to her head as she stroked Fang’s hair. “What do you have?” She asked her sister.

“Good news and bad news. What do you want first?” Serah asked.

“Could use a little good news.” Lightning said.

“No one else was listening in. It was an encrypted line and they bounced it through twenty-three relays and seven satellites.” Serah returned.

“Not surprising for something this high profile.” Lightning said. “We do that shit when we order pizza.”

“Now for the bad news.” Serah said. “The call didn’t go to Japan. It went to Los Angeles.”

Lightning looked down at Fang. “So the contact she called isn’t even here?”

“I doubt it.” Serah said. “I’ve pegged the location of the receiving cell. And it’s moving.”

“Moving where?”

“Across the Pacific. Whoever got that call is coming to you.” Serah offered. “You think it’s your opposites from Gran Pulse?”

“Wouldn’t rule it out. If those two are like us, then they’re pit bulls. The aren’t gonna let us go until we make them.”

“The Tsumori Shrine they want you to go to is pretty isolated.” Serah said. “If the shit hits the fan, at least there won’t be a ton of collateral damage.”

“Agreed. We’ll go ahead and stick to the plan and get her there.” Lightning said. “Did Cid pay half up front?”

“Yes, he did. Four million in the Swiss account. It’s untouchable by anyone but us. The Osprey was delivered to the Hangar, too. So he’s kept his word so far.”

“Did you…?”

“Vanille’s already going over it with a fine-tooth comb. If she finds any bugs, she’ll ferret ‘em out and toss ‘em.” Serah said.

“Thanks for being on top of it.” Lightning said to her. “We’ll check in with you later.”

“Good luck and watch your six.”

“Always.” Lightning said, ending the call. She looked to Fang, who still had her head resting on Light’s legs. The brunette tapped her ear, indicating she’d heard the conversation. “Ambush?” Lightning asked her.

“Big time.” Fang said, leaning up and lying her head on her folded arms. “What do you wanna do about it?”

“Not much we can do.” Lightning said. “We got four million reasons why we have to get her there.”

"You want another piece of that son of a bitch, don’t you?” Fang asked her.

“You telling me you don’t?” Lightning replied.

“We’re supposed to be the best. Apex predators.” She slowly rose to her feet and stretched. “Don’t like things fuckin’ with that.”

Lightning pulled Fang in and kissed her toned stomach. “My thoughts exactly.”

Nora stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. “That’s better.” She said, drying her hair.

“Get your shoes on.” Fang said. “We’re going to get some food.”

“Can’t we just order room service?” Nora asked, furrowing her brow.

“Not at these prices.” Fang said, shaking her head. She tossed the menu across to the woman.

Nora flipped through it. “Oh my god.” She said, looking up at the two. “Gimme a second.” She said, dropping down to put on a new pair of socks and her sneakers. “Screw that.” She said, shaking her head.

"Cheap asses, both of you.” Lightning looked to Fang. “Except when it comes to cars.”

“Priorities, what?” Fang said, standing arms akimbo.

Her wife just shook her head and turned to Nora. “You ready?” Lightning asked.

The woman rose to her feet and nodded. They left the room and headed down to the lobby. Lightning flicked her eyes to the side. “That them?” She asked Fang.

Fang tossed a casual glance at the men as they sat about talking and drinking coffee. “Yeah.” She said, nodding. “I’ve got it.”

Nora trotted up to the two of them as they left the hotel and handed the card to the valet. “What are you guys talking about?”

“The three men in the lobby.” Fang said. “They’re either a snatch team or a surveillance team.” She reached up and gripped the top of Nora’s head to prevent her from looking. “Don’t look. We don’t want them to know we’re onto them.”

“Oh.” Nora said, nodding. “What are we gonna do?”

“Fang will handle it.” Lightning said, unconcerned. She turned as the valet pulled up in the BMW. She could see the trio moving up behind them in her periphery. They were sure to keep their distance. _Smart_. She said to herself.

They moved to get into the car. “Lightning, you drive.” Fang said, sliding into the passenger seat. The pink haired woman climbed behind the wheel. “We need to find a place to drop these fools.”

“Gotcha.” Lightning said. She shifted gears and headed away from the hotel and onto the route 482. She looked in the rearview and saw the Prius behind them. “They’re still with us.”

“Good.” Fang said, not looking around. “Just stick to the speed limit.” She was grinning. “This is gonna be so fun.” She said. She started giggling to herself.

“Should the fact that she’s beginning to cackle be worrisome?” Nora asked.

“Only if you happen to be driving a blue Prius.” Lightning said, keeping an eye on the group. She turned left onto the Rainbow Bridge that led across the inlet. “I know there’s an industrial complex up ahead. We can let out you there to have a little fun.”

“Sounds nice.” Fang said. She began cracking her knuckles and her neck. “I’m really gonna enjoy this.”

“Just don’t get dead. Then I’d be stuck having to marry Vanille to replace you.” Lightning said to her wife. “And there isn’t enough Ritalin in the world.”

Fang chuckled. “I’ll be alright. Heartens me that you’d take Vanille in like that, though. I appreciate it.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Lightning said. She kept to the bridge and finally found an offramp. She came to the first intersection.

“Turn into that parking lot, there.” Fang said, pointing across the street. “Take it in between those two rigs and stop. Then pull up over there and park. I’ll handle these three.”  

Lightning did as the woman suggested. “Be careful.” She said as Fang stepped out.

Fang moved over and knelt against the axel of the trailer and waited. She watched as the three of them turned into the parking lot and come toward her. “Three thousand pounds.” She said softly to herself. She closed her eyes and felt her adrenaline surge.  

Lightning pulled into a parking spot a few yards away and turned the car off. “This is gonna be entertaining.” She turned in her seat and could see Fang. “Watch this.” She said to Nora. “You wanna see Fang go full tilt, now’s your chance.”

The blonde spun and watched. She’d been far too terrified in the diner to really see anything.

The small hatchback pulled between the trucks. Suddenly, Fang was nothing but furious motion. She emerged from the darkness beneath the trailer and slammed her shoulder directly into the right-hand side of the car. The body panels crumpled from the tremendous impact. The driver of the car didn’t even have a chance to shout in the surprise before the car was flipped onto its side and pushed against the trailer beside it.

“Holy shit.” Nora said, shocked. “It didn’t realize how strong she was.”

Lightning couldn’t help but lick her lips. “God, I love that woman.”

Fang leaped up onto the side of the car. She reached down and gripped the driver, tearing him free. She turned and hurled him aside like a sack full of dirty laundry. He slapped hard onto the concrete rolling to a stop behind the BMW. His body was twisted in a hideously unnatural position. He didn’t get back up. Fang dropped down behind the car. She gripped the top and flipped it back onto its wheels. This allowed her access to the passenger side. She punched through the surprisingly intact rear window and gripped the man’s head, twisting it violently. His neck snapped like a celery stalk. She stepped forward as the front passenger tried desperately to fish a pistol out of his jacket. She tore the gun free and tossed it aside. She then took hold of his long black hair and slammed his face against the dashboard so hard, the airbag deployed. His skull was crushed by the initial impact and further mutilated by the airbag discharge.

Fang turned to see Lightning grinning at her widely. Wanting to further impress her wife, Fang moved behind the hatchback grasped the bottom, lifting the rear of the car into the air.

“What is she doing?” Nora asked, dumbfounded.

With a bright and avarice grin, Lightning answered. “Showing off for me.” She absolutely _loved_ watching Fang work. The woman’s strength was truly _awesome_.

Fang moved forward and, with a surge of power, lifted the car clean from the ground.

“I don’t…” Nora shook her head. “I don’t believe it. I mean, I’m lookin’ right at it and I _still_ don’t believe it.”

“She is _so_ getting pussy tonight.” Lightning said, shaking her head.

Fang took a few steps and slammed the car down on top of the man she’d hurled free. A grotesque squelching noise preceded the horrendous crunch of metal and composites on the concrete. Lightning and Nora both watched as Fang came back to the car and slid in. She turned to Lightning and immediately pulled her in, plundering her mouth fiercely.

Nora averted her eyes. For several seconds, the pair shared an embrace.

“Come on, baby.” Lightning said. “Let’s get some food into you.”

Fang closed her eyes and let go of her rush. She was left sweating and shaking. “Are you okay?” Nora asked her.

“Yeah.” Fang said, winded. “Just takes a lot outta me. I gotta eat something to get my reserves back up.”

“For what it’s worth, you’re getting lucky tonight.” Lightning said. She looked Nora in the rearview. “I suggest earplugs.”

“Unless you wanna join in, yeah?” Fang said, turning to look at her.

Nora just stared at her. Lightning chuckled. “You’re gonna give the poor woman a heart attack.”

“What a way to go, though right?” Fang asked her.


	10. Chapter 10

 

Fang looked in the rearview mirror and smirked as she watched Nora sleep soundly. Lightning adjusted the satellite navigation system to find the Shrine they were looking for. “Poor girl,” Fang said, indicating the blonde.

Lightning looked at her wife and turned to Nora. “What about her?” She asked, going back to what she was doing.

“She probably didn’t hardly sleep at all last night.”

Lightning shrugged. “I told her to get earplugs.”

“I don’t really think that would have helped, truth be told,” Fang replied. She flipped on her blinker and merged onto Highway 6 heading north. “I mean, you get pretty vocal when you get going.”

“Only for you.” Lightning said, matter of fact. “And it’s not like you’re a mute. _Oh Light, right there. Right there, Oh, Light!_ ” She looked at the dark haired woman. “Yeah, you’re real damn quiet.”

Fang chuckled. “Not my fault you’re good at what you do.”

Lightning gave a smile and turned back to the map. “Explains why we still have sex as often as we did before we were married.”

“Four years and going strong,” Fang said, looking at her wife. “I love you.”

Lightning turned to her and gave her a soft smirk. “I love you, too.” She reached over and took Fang’s hand. “Always will.” She then let go and tapped another button on the sat nav. “Says we’ve got a hundred twenty miles.”

“Gonna take a while.” Fang offered, resting her arm on the door. She looked around them to make sure they weren’t being followed. Every so often, she flicked her eyes to her wife. She could see Lightning tensing up. “You look nervous, Sunshine,” She said after a while.

“I am.” Lightning said. “And I don’t like the feeling.”

“Nothing we can really do about it,” Fang said. “End of the day, we’re just gonna prove how much better we are than them.”

“But what if we’re not?” Lightning asked.

“What?” Fang asked her. She could hear fear and doubt in Lightning’s voice.

“You heard me, Fang.” Lightning said. “What if we’re not better? What if…?”

“What if we lose, is that what you’re asking?”

Lightning nodded. “What does that mean for Serah and Vanille? What does that mean for Nora and her family?”

“I don’t know, Light,” Fang said, honestly. “I know Serah and Vanille are smart enough to disappear. It’s not like we don’t have contingencies in place for this kind of thing. We always knew this was a possibility. I’m strong and you're fast, but a high enough powered bullet can still kill us. All we ever needed was a bad guy to get lucky.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Lightning said, turning to watch the scenery. “I just,” She shook her head. “That fight in the diner back in the states still has me rattled. I’ve never come up against anyone that’s just as good as me.” She looked to Fang. “I’m used to us being _better_ than everyone else. It’s what makes us so good at what we do.”

“Law of large numbers says it had to happen sometime.” Fang offered. “I knew Gran Pulse was in the early stages. And it’s been almost a decade and a half. Lot can change in that time.”

“I thought you were scared, but…you’re not, are you?” Lightning asked her. “You’re so calm.”

“Not a lot I can change about it. We’re gonna meet ‘em again. That’s a fact. No gettin’ around it. I can either psyche myself out and take myself off my game or I can not. I choose not. I’m not gonna let this bitch and her pipsqueak pal get into my head. You’re already freakin’ out about it enough for the both of us.” Fang chuckled. “But then you were always the smart one.”

“You sayin’ I should calm down or are you saying you should be more scared?” Lightning asked her.

“Yeah. Sure.” Fang responded.

“That wasn’t vague as hell.” Lightning said, chuckling. “Either way, it’s almost over.”

“Yeah,” Fang said, nodding. “Yeah, it is. Come hell or high water, yeah?”

Lightning pulled the Glocks from her shoulder holsters and looked them over. “Close the city and tell the people that something's coming to call. Death and darkness are rushing forward to take a bite from the wall.”

Fang grinned. “You’ve nothin’ to say. They’re breakin’ away.” She looked at her wife. “If you listen to fools…” She held her wrist up.

“The mob rules.” Lightning returned, bumping it with her own.

Fang nodded. “Now you’re feelin’ it.”

“Yeah.” Lightning said, looking at her guns before stuffing them away. She reached into her suit jacket and pulled her sunglasses out. She slid them on coolly. “Now I’m feelin’ it.”

“Hah. Then let’s _do_ this!” Fang shifted gears and planted her foot. The tires shrieked and the engine growled as she raced through traffic. She kept an eye on their back, but couldn’t see anything trying to keep pace. Just over an hour later, they pulled off the freeway and onto Route 157. “Not far now,” She said. “Wake up the lady.”

Lightning turned and tapped Nora’s knee. “Hey. Wake up. We’re almost there.”

Nora blinked several times and wiped her eyes. “That was fast.”

“Yeah, don’t take long when you’re doing nearly a hundred miles an hour,” Fang said, checking the gauges. She looked to Lightning, raising an eyebrow. She cocked her head back toward Nora.

Lightning shook her head. “There’s no point. Won’t change anything.”

“I suppose that’s true.” Fang offered.

“What are you two talking about?” She asked.

“You know the name of who you’re supposed to meet?” Lightning asked. “And do we know where they’re gonna be?”

“Oh, uh yeah,” Nora said, fishing into her pockets for the piece of paper. “Some guy calls himself Bradiceanu. He admitted that the name was an alias, but I suppose I can’t blame him.”

Fang and Lightning both furrowed their brows. Lightning quickly pulled her phone out and called Serah. “Fang, slow down. Take your time.”

“You guys to the temple yet?” The younger Farron asked.

“Just about.” Lightning said. “Quick question. Does the name Bradiceanu mean anything to you?”  

“Odd choice. Doesn’t exactly strike fear in the heart, does it?” Serah said, typing away. “Any context?”

“It’s the alias that Nora’s contact is using.” Lightning said. “I need anything that might be relevant, no matter how unimportant it might seem.”

“Let’s see. It’s a Romanian surname. Top Google results are Tiberiu Brediceanu, a Romanian Composer. His son, Mihai Brediceanu, a conductor, and musicologist. Then there’s Tiberius's brother Caius. He was a politician.”

Lightning furrowed her brow. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

“What name?” Fang asked her.

“Caius.” Lightning said. “Where have I heard that before?”

“Gran Pulse’ director of operations is named Caius Ballad,” Fang said. “How is that…?”

“Caius Brediceanu was a Romanian Politician.” Lightning said. “Thanks, Serah,” She said, ending the call. She turned to Nora. “Cid sold you out.”

Nora frowned. “You don’t know that. It could just be a coincidence.”

“Yeah, right.” Fang snorted. She pulled to the intersection that led forward to a twisting dead end with stairs leading up to the shrine atop the hill. “Are we sure we wanna do this?” She looked to Lightning. “We know it’s a trap.”

“It has to end.” Lightning said simply. “One way or another.”

Fang sighed and then turned to Nora. “Do you trust Cid?” She asked the blonde. “With your life and the lives of your family?”

Nora looked scared. She stared into Fang’s eyes. “I have to,” She said, softly.

Fang chuckled and shook her head. “Alright. But just so you know, if we find out Cid rat-fucked us, I’m gonna give you a big fat _I told you so._ ” She said, turning back to the road. “Theirs is not to make reply, theirs is not to reason why, theirs is but to do or die…”

“Into the valley of death rode the six hundred.” Lightning added.

“You two can be really depressing, you know that?” Nora said.

Both women chuckled. The woman obviously didn’t have a clue how serious the shit storm they were willingly walking into was.

They came to a stop in the small car park at the foot of the steps. Fang turned the car around and backed it up to the stairs. “In case, we have to take off in a hurry, yeah?” She said to the other two.

“Charge of the Light brigade.” Lightning said, trying to calm herself.

“Funny,” Fang said as she turned the car off. “Let’s get this done.”  

They stepped out and began ascending the steps. Fang took point, clad in her body armor, leather jacket, stretch jeans and reinforced martial arts gloves. She reached back and pulled her hair from her face, putting it up into a ponytail. Nora moved between the pair, with her bulletproof vest on over her t-shirt. Her cream colored sweat-jacket was over that. She hugged her arms to herself.

Lightning kept an eye on their back trail in her tailored suit. It fit perfectly over the bulk of her body armor. She had her two Glocks primed and ready with two extra magazines for each. Both of them were loaded with armor piercing rounds. Given what they’d learned of their counterparts from Gran Pulse, it just seemed like a good idea.

They moved slowly and cautiously. They weren’t necessarily surprised to find that no one was around. They were actually pleased for the fact. The last thing they wanted was someone getting caught in the crossfire.

The small buildings that sat atop the hill looked completely deserted.

Lightning immediately steadied her breathing and concentrated. Her sense of hearing increased dramatically. She looked to the largest of the buildings. “In there,” She said, pointing.

Fang nodded. “Let’s go and say hi, yeah?” She said, moving up to the stairs.

Lightning pulled her pistols and readied them.

The dark-haired fighter pushed the doors aside, letting sunlight into the dark room. A lone figure with long violet hair and a tailored black business suit sat upon his knees before shrine itself. “Even knowing the truth…” His deep voice offered. “You still walk into the belly of the beast.” He turned so they could see his profile. “I expected better of you, Oerba Yun Fang.”

“Well, you know what Nikos Kazantzakis said.” Fang shot back, crossing her arms. “A person needs a little madness, or else they never dare cut the rope and be free.”

He chuckled, turning back to the shrine. “And is that what you wish to do? Dare to cut the ropes and free yourself, Fang?”

“For starters,” Fang said. “Light?”

Lightning stepped forward and lifted her pistols. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t put a bullet in you.”

“Because you’re curious,” He said, rising to his feet and turning to greet them. “You want to know why.” He looked at Nora. “ _Why would he do this_ , you’re asking yourself.”

Nora began tearing up. She nodded to him. “I trusted him.”

“And he used that trust.” Caius grinned. “And played you for a fool.” He looked at the pair. “He played you all for fools.”

“We knew what his plans were,” Fang said. “Figured it out pretty much from the beginning.”

“Did you?” He asked, crossing his arms to mimic her stance.

“He wasn’t that smart about it.” She shot back. “We knew he was a turncoat. We didn’t trust him at all. We knew he was selling Nora out.”

“It wasn’t just her,” Caius said. “He delivered all three of you to me.” He snapped his fingers. Jihl and Yaag stepped out of a doorway behind him. “With the three of you in my hands, the L’Cie program is mine. I’ll cut the three of you apart and learn everything I need to know. I can create the world’s most effective and efficient warriors. A force of assassins so elite that nothing will be able to stop them. Not a government in the world that wouldn’t pay for that kind of technology. I could name my price. True paragons of creation.”

Lightning saw an opportunity and decided to go for broke. “You’ve already done that.” She pointed to Jihl and Yaag. “Right there. We’ve met. They’re better.”

Jihl and Yaag offered slight smirks, but Caius snorted dismissively. “These two are but pale imitations compared to the two of you. Imperfect constructs. Parodies of the human condition. You’re not.”

“What?” Jihl snarled, turning to look at him, pain written on her face. “You said…you told me that I was the pinnacle of modern bio-engineering. You said we were far beyond what the L’Cie program was ever capable of.”

“Flesh is weak,” Yaag said, his voice cold and taught. “Metal is unyielding and without such weaknesses. Isn’t that what you said?”  

“A means to an end,” Caius said. “You and Rosch _are_ the pinnacle of bio-engineering. But your cybernetics, your systems, they all have limits. You may be stronger, you may be faster, but you’ll never _ever_ be _better_.” He looked to Yaag. “Neither of you will.”

“We’ll see about that,” Yaag growled. He turned and reached for his submachine guns.

To Nora and Caius, the rest of the people in the room were a blur. “It looks like your  bodyguards are a bit… _preoccupied_ , my dear.” Nora backed away as Caius moved toward her, smiling.

Lightning already had her weapons free. That split second of saved time produced a very different outcome this time around. In all of her years as a L’Cie, she’d never opened her body fully to what she was capable of. She’d always had a touch of untapped potential. But she understood at this moment, in this place, there was no room for holding back. Yaag Rosch was very, _very_ fast. He was a deadly accurate shot with automatic weapons. A skill not to be ignored. She needed to bring everything she was to the table if she hoped to survive. She felt herself getting incredibly warm as she moved.

He had his weapons out and nearly leveled when her first bullets let rip. The semi-automatic pistols cracked like thunder as she fired again and again. The armor piercing ammunition worked its magic. His body was made to withstand much, but the woman was prepared for that. Her slugs impacted his body and blew holes in him. They chewed through the reinforced frame that he’d been implanted with.

He staggered as the shells pumped into him. She walked the shots up his chest and finally into his head. Thirty-four bullets entered his body. He fell to the ground.

Lightning ejected the clips and swiped her guns along the sides of her belt, sliding new clips in. She continued to empty her weapons into the downed assassin. She ensured that he would never, _ever_ rise again.

Jihl charged at Fang, her lips twisted into a ferocious snarl. “I’m gonna tear you apart.”

Fang smiled at her as she ran. “Take your best shot.” The world around her slowed. Lightning was still as fast as her namesake, but Fang’s attention was all on the juggernaut rushing toward her. Jihl was strong, Fang remembered that keenly. And the chances were that she could take a lot more punishment. And that’s precisely what Fang was going to make sure she did. Jihl dove at Fang's arms outstretched, looking to take her down. Fang dropped to one knee and reached out, taking hold of Jihl’s leading arm. She then gripped the woman’s belt and turned, hurling her through the wall of the shrine. The heavy wood exploded as she blasted through it.

She smacked into the ground hard and rolled several yards before coming to a stop. Fang slowly strolled out and dropped to the ground, sitting on the deck in front of the temple. “Bet you didn’t see that comin’ now did ya?” Jihl got to her hands and knees, growling. She turned and stared at Fang, rage in her eyes. The brunette tapped the side of her head. “Gotta use your noggin’ sweetheart. That’s why I’m always gonna be better than you.”

“You’re not,” Jihl said, getting to her feet. “You never were! I’m superior to you in every way.”

“Are you now?” Fang asked crossing her legs and leaning back. “Look like a cheap knock off to me.”

Jihl again stormed in. She jumped, looking to loose a flying right cross. Fang rolled to the side as the long haired woman crashed down through the wood beside her. Fang jumped away and backed up. “Nice try, but you’re gonna have to do better.”

“Stand and fight. Prove you’re stronger.” Jihl said, her tone low and dangerous. “Why are you running? You afraid?”

“Yep,” Fang said, nodding. “That’s exactly why I’m not going fisticuffs with you. You’re damn strong and are probably a hell of a lot more durable than me.” She grinned and shook her head. “But your master said it. You’ll never be better.”

“I already am!” Jihl rushed her again. As she drew near, Fang was again in motion. She dropped and took the woman’s legs from beneath her. As she hit the ground, Fang was back up and dancing away from her. “Aaaaahhhh!” Jihl screamed as she rose to her feet. “Stop running you chicken shit fucking bitch and FIGHT!”

“Why?” Fang asked her. “Getting tired?”

“I don’t get tired, Fang,” Jihl said, stalking toward her. “I’ll _never_ get tired. I’m a fucking cyborg. I’m beyond your feeble human limitations.”

“Then prove it,” Fang said, holding her arms out wide. “Take me out.”

Jihl was enraged beyond reason. She was going to do everything in her power to pound the woman into the ground. And for her part, Fang was more than happy to let her try.

Lightning stood over Yaag Rosch, staring at his smoking corpse. “Pathetic.” She heard Nora scream. She spun with her weapon raised. Caius stood with Nora in front of him and a gun pointed at her head. “Drop the guns or she dies.”

She ignored him as she slid one of her guns home and slowly pulled a new magazine out for her other. “I don’t think you heard me,” He said, his tone hardening.

“I heard you just fine. I just don’t care.” She looked Nora directly in the eye. “You gonna just stand there and piss yourself or are you gonna do something about this asshole?”

“Nice bluff,” Caius said. “But I’m not buying it. She’s an intellectual L’Cie. If not for what’s in her head, she’d just be another big-titted bimbo in a lab coat.”

“Oops.” Lightning said, grinning as she saw Nora’s eyes narrow. “Now you did it.”

Nora drew her head forward and slammed it back into Caius’ face. He was caught by surprise by the maneuver. He staggered back a step.

Nora spun, her hand coming around. Caius shook his head and looked back to the woman to see her fist a heartbeat before it caught him directly in the jaw. His head was rocked to the side. Nora let out a wail and took a step, her foot slamming directly into his chest, sending him reeling back into the shrine. He had managed to keep his hold on his pistol.

Lightning stepped forward in front of Nora and lifted her gun, pointing it at him. “Drop the gun, Caius.”

He quickly pointed it at Nora. “Are you that fast, Lightning?” He asked, grinning cockily. “Can you kill me before I pull the trigger?”

“Yes,” She said to him. “You drop it and I wing you and you retain all of your motor functions. You don’t, I make it debilitating. Besides that, you won’t kill her. You _need_ her. You still think you can win.”

“I can,” He said. She saw his hand tense, taking up slack in the trigger. She fired twice in rapid succession. The first bullet smacked into his wrist, blasting a hole through the bone. The second shot impacted his shoulder, blowing out his ball joint.

The gun went flying from his hand as he fell to the floor, screaming. 

Lightning stepped up to him. “Even with surgery, you’re looking at months of physical therapy. That is if you don’t get killed first.”

“You going to kill me?” He asked, raging surging in his eyes. “Then do it.” He shook his head. “I’m not going to beg for my life.”

“No, I don’t expect you would,” She said to him. “But I’m not gonna be the one who kills you. It would be easy, but it wouldn’t be very satisfying. No. I’m all about karma. And I think there’s someone else that’s gonna want a piece of you when everything is said and done.” Lightning turned to watch the fight between her wife and her cybernetic counterpart. “Someone a little closer to home.”

Caius followed her line of vision. “She’s going to kill your wife. I’ll, at least, have that.”

“You keep thinking that.” Lightning said. “Idiot,” She added softly.

Fang was moving side to side as Jihl tried desperately to land a punch. Her strikes whipped past her, hitting nothing but air. Fang had gotten the sense when they clashed the first time that she had one singular advantage over the chestnut haired beauty.

Ability.

The woman was a brawler. All of her combat expertise came from just simply being a powerhouse. Beating everyone and everything into submission. Fang could subscribe to this, to be honest. Often, she was much the same way. Most times it was all either of them would ever need. But unlike Jihl, that wasn’t all that Fang _had_.

Against anything weaker and slow, that was perfectly acceptable. When you can punch through cinderblocks, it didn’t really matter how skilled you were. But Fang’s training had been _extensive_. She’d been implanted with master levels of literally _dozens_ of martial arts. She had techniques that most wouldn’t even know existed. And that fighting prowess kept her well ahead of the powerful woman.

Jihl’s fist flew past Fang’s jaw with a hair’s thickness to spare. The brunette slammed her own fist into her opponent’s stomach, lifting her from her feet. As Jihl was in the air, Fang spun, catching her across the ribs with a reverse spin kick that threw her across the clearing and through a large richly carved stone pillar. Jihl hit the ground and slid. She rose to her feet, dusting herself off. “Is that best you can do?” She asked Fang, stepping forward. “That was pathetic.”

“Yeah, probably,” Fang said. “I’ll just have to try harder next time, won’t I?” She motioned for Jihl to bring it.

The assassin lifted a huge chunk of stone and hurled it at Fang. Fang grinned and stood perfectly still. The five hundred pound rock came hurtling at her. She backhanded it at the last minute, causing it to explode into dust and gravel. “Nice try. But you’ll have to do better.”

Jihl stared at her, and simply couldn’t believe it. “I’m stronger…” She began moving toward Fang slowly. “I’m…”

“You know.” Fang interrupted her. “I’ve been thinking about that.” She stalked into the woman. “You’ve been coming at me full force, yeah?” She cocked her head. “Been wantin’ to pound me into the ground like a tent peg. I’ve seen everything you’ve got.” She grinned. “And I think I’ve learned a thing or two about you.” She tapped her cheek. “Hit me with your best shot.”

Jihl snarled and drew back to land a hard punch to Fang’s face. Her hand arced in…

And never got close. Her fist smacked into Fang’s right palm and was stopped cold. “What I’ve learned is you’re not nearly as strong as you think you are.” Fang knew what she was doing was dangerous. But in order for her plan to work, she needed to let _everything_ go. Every part of her mind that kept her body from tearing itself apart had to be shoved aside. Her skin flushed as she cut loose. Slowly she began squeezing the cyborg’s hand. The woman’s fist buckled and groaned as the metal beneath her flesh gave out. “Like the boss man said. Machines have limits. There’s a point they can’t go beyond because they’re _programmed_ not to.” Her left hand shot in, gripping Jihl’s throat and lifting her from the ground. Pain was etched across the woman’s face. She grasped Fang’s arm, trying to free herself, but for some reason, her incredible strength was failing her. Fang was _stronger_. “But _L’Cie_ don’t have that problem. We can push past our limits. We can,” She then gave out with a growl. Jihl screamed as she felt her arm give way and tear free of her shoulder. “Crash barriers,” Fang said as she threw the woman down. She held up the assassin’s dripping appendage. “ _That’s_ what makes us better. Making the impossible possible.”

Jihl knelt on the ground, clutching at her shoulder, trying to stem the flow of fluid and sobbing. “I failed,” She said, angrily. “I can’t…I wasn’t strong enough.” Enraged, she shakily got to her feet, glaring at Fang. She then turned and staggered into the temple. “You…” She said, her eyes zeroing in on Caius. “You lied to me. And I believed you. All of your _bullshit_! I had a life. I had a future, you son of a bitch. And I gave all of that up, _all of it_ , for an empty fucking promise.” She fell to her knees, her breath hitching in pain. “You said you could make me legend. You could make me a goddess.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. She struggled to her feet and continued to move toward him.

Caius came to his feet. “You were never going to be, Jihl,” He said to her. “Don’t you see that? You knew what this was. You knew what you were destined to be. No one _lied_ to you. You act like we stole something from you. You volunteered for the project. It isn’t my fault you were flawed from the start. I just did the best I could with what I had. You wanted to be something beyond what you were. I gave you that.” He shook his head. “I made you what you are.”  

“All I ever _wanted_ to be…” She turned to look at Fang. “Was _her_.”

“And now look at you. You’re scrap. A broken toy.” He sneered. “Millions of dollars worth of disappointment.”

“Maybe,” Jihl said. She shot out and gripped his neck with her remaining hand. “But I’m still good enough for this.” She squeezed his throat. “You’re disappointment will send you _fucking_ grave.” His neck gave with a grotesque _crunch_. His body jerked as he fell limp and lifeless in her hand. His eyes belied his shock at being slain by his own hand.

Nora turned and vomited on the floor.

Jihl dropped Caius’ dead body to the ground. “Lying prick.” She turned to Lightning and dropped to her knees. She lowered her head and sighed. “End it.”

“I don’t have to.” Lightning said. “You leave us alone and we’re perfectly content with letting you go.”

Jihl looked up to Fang. “Ever since I saw what you were capable of, I wanted that. I wanted to be able to test the limits of power, of strength and do as you did. Crash through them. I wanted to be what you were.” She shook her head. “But the two of you…you were _perfect_.” She turned to Caius’ corpse. “But he didn’t want perfect. He wanted mechanical. He wanted _programmable_. He wanted controllable.” She turned back to them. “He wanted what he would never have been able to have.”

“You know, Jihl,” Fang said, stepping up and kneeling before her and resting her hand on the woman’s shoulders. “In the end, you were just like us.” She looked into soft brown eyes. “We turned on our creators, too.”

“Trying to make me feel better?” She asked the L’Cie. “Don’t. I don’t deserve it. I don’t want it. I gave up everything. I have nothing left to go back and nothing to look forward to.” She stared at Fang. “A cheap knock off.” She turned to his body again. “But at least, I was able to do one thing right.” She looked up at Lightning. “Do it. Please.” 

Lightning nodded and moved behind her. “For what it’s worth, we’re taking Gran Pulse down. All of it.”

“I know you will,” Jihl said. “Good luck.”

Lightning pressed the gun against the back of her head. She squeezed the trigger. The bullet did what it was designed to do.

Fang turned to Nora. “I don’t think Japan is gonna work out for you.”

The woman shook her head. “I don’t either,” She said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “I’m through running. I wanna help you two take down Gran Pulse. You’re both right. I’m never gonna be safe until they’re gone.”

“Well, then you’re definitely gonna need something more than my Bruce Lee library to draw from,” Fang said.

“Come on.” Lightning said. “We’ve gotta see a man about a thing.”

“Right,” Fang said, leading the way out of the shrine. “Oh, by the way, Nora?” Fang turned and looked at her. “I told you so.”

“Yeah, yeah.” The blonde returned.

 

Cid Raines poured himself a drink and casually pulled his tie off. The phone call he’d just gotten made him happy as a clam. Caius’ voice sounded most pleased. The plan he’d orchestrated went off without a hitch.

Tomorrow, he’d dispatch Captain Rygdea to deal with the captured L’Cie’s siblings. He hated loose ends. He couldn’t help but smile brightly. He loved it when things came together so flawlessly.

He removed his jacket, shirt and his pants. He stepped through the shower and finished his drink. He climbed into bed and relaxed into the pillows. He was going to sleep good tonight.

He felt the bed beside him move a few seconds after closing his eyes. He looked up to see Lightning Farron sitting against his headboard with her arms crossed, staring straight ahead. She looked completely relaxed. She said nothing.

He quickly turned, reaching for his nightstand when he stopped. Oerba Yun Fang stood with her arms crossed, staring down at him with a smile. She turned to look to the end of the bed.

“Looking for this?” Nora’s innocent soft voice, now hard as steel asked. He looked to see the blonde woman, clad in black body armor, her hair pulled back in a tight short ponytail glaring back at him. She held his pistol in her hand and pointed it at his head. “Let’s talk about how you tried to fuck us over.”

“Oh, shit,” Cid said his voice barely a whisper.

“Yeah,” Fang said, placing her foot on the bed beside him and leaning down, resting her arms across the back of her knee. “I’d say that about sums it up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter of this particular tale. I have been toying with the idea of continuing Fang and Lightning's adventures in this particular world, but I haven't decided yet. What do you think? Should I have another excursion for these two? Let me know in the comments...


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